


Price of Peace 4 - Uncovering the Truth

by TitansRule



Series: Price of Peace [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Family, Friendship, Humour, Reading the Books, Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-29
Updated: 2013-06-04
Packaged: 2017-12-13 08:04:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 256,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/821928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitansRule/pseuds/TitansRule
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stuck in 1978 by a spell from their future, Harry and Hermione are forced to relive the events of their fourth year, surrounded by their friends and family. Love blossoms, friendships are formed and prejudices are broken. Set in my Veritas universe - NOT a Goblet of Fire reading fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Morning Again

**Author's Note:**

> This is technically the sequel to the Price of Peace 1, 2 and 3 in which they read the first three Harry Potter books. Due to copyright issues, I have removed these stories and am in the process of revising them. However, this is NOT my top priority, so please be patient.
> 
> Readers from 1978 (end of the Marauders sixth year):  
> Lily Evans (dating James Potter) - Jade (doe)  
> James Potter (dating Lily Evans) - Prongs (stag)  
> Sirius Black (in love with Addison McKinnon) - Padfoot (dog)  
> Addison "Addie" McKinnon (in denial) - Shadow (dog)  
> Remus Lupin (dating Jennifer Black) - Moony (werewolf)  
> Jennifer "Jen" Black (Sirius's twin sister; dating Remus Lupin) - Selena (wolf)  
> Amanda Cotswold (revealed to be future girlfriend of Peter Pettigrew) - Talon (falcon)  
> Arabella Figg (Mrs Figg's granddaughter) - Bastet (cat)  
> [Peter was there, but ran and was obliviated when he was discovered to have the Dark Mark while they were reading PoA]  
> Alice Bones (dating Frank Longbottom)  
> David Potter (James's father) - auror - arrived during the second book  
> Regulus Black - graduated Hogwarts (three years older than Jen and Sirius) - arrived during the second book  
> Narcissa Black - seventh year - arrived during the second book
> 
> Readers from the future (middle of Chapter 1 of Defying the Enemy/summer between GoF and OotP):  
> Hermione Granger (arrived before the first book from Grimmauld Place)  
> Fred Weasley (arrived before the first book from Grimmuald Place)  
> Sirius Black (arrived before the first book from Grimmauld Place) - written in italics  
> Draco Malfoy (arrived before the second book from Malfoy Manor)  
> Ginny Weasley (arrived before the second book from Grimmauld Place)  
> Harry Potter (arrived before the third book from Privet Drive)  
> Addison McKinnon (arrived before the third book from a Death Eater inhabited island) - written in italics
> 
> Text in bold is either taken from Uncovering the Truth (which belongs to me) or Goblet of Fire (which belongs to JK Rowling, Scholastic, and probably several other people). No copyright infringement is intended.

The last thing Hermione did before she went to sleep was ask the Room for an alarm clock and set it for early the next morning.

It went off sooner than she would have liked and she got up, pulling on a set of robes. She left the dormitory and made her way down to the small corridor, emerging into the reading room.

Her intention was to ask the room for a novel and wait on the sofa for the next reader to arrive, but her plan was thwarted by the fact that Addie and Sirius were fast asleep on said item of furniture.

Hermione dropped into one of the beanbags and picked up the book that appeared, opening it to the first page. Almost immediately, there was a flash of light and a thud, and Neville Longbottom appeared in the middle of the floor, looking quite dishevelled.

The two sleeping Gryffindors didn’t stir and Hermione put the book down and stood up. “Neville!”

“Hermione?” Neville looked nervous, but accepted the hug she offered gratefully. “What happened? I was just looking in on the greenhouses and …”

“Relax.” Hermione soothed. “And sit down. I’ll explain everything.”

They settled back on the beanbags and Hermione outlined their first three years of Hogwarts, all about the Philosopher’s Stone and the Chamber of Secrets and _Sirius_ ’s innocence. Then she explained about Voldemort coming back – Neville assured her that he didn’t believe a word written in the _Prophet_ – and how they had all be sent back in time.

By the time she’d finished, Neville was gaping at her in astonishment. “So the next book we read will be all about our fourth year?”

Hermione nodded.

“And Malfoy’s here?”

Hermione nodded again. She hadn’t bothered explaining her empathy to him, since it would probably be explained today. “He won’t do anything.” She assured him.

“So why am I here?” Neville asked.

Hermione reached across and touched his hand gently. “Neville, Sirius – our Sirius, that is – told us what happened to your parents.”

Neville stiffened, his face turning white. “You-You know?”

Hermione nodded a third time, trying to keep any pity out of her expression. If he was anything like Harry, he wouldn’t take kindly to it. “We know. I’d apologise, Nev, but I know that won’t help. The reason I’m bringing this up is … Well, your mum was friends with Harry’s and she’s reading with us.”

The expression on Neville’s face changed from pain to shock to hope and lingered there. “Really?”

“Yes.” Hermione answered gently. “She is only seventeen though and you haven’t been born yet. On saying that, she and Lily both have a very strong maternal instinct, so you should be okay.”

A soft noise from the sofa alerted them both and they looked up to see Addie beginning to wake.

***

_“Ads?” Sirius asked quietly, as the last door slammed. He knew that she now knew the extent of how he felt about her, and part of him was terrified of her reaction._

_The rest wouldn’t let him sleep without hearing it._

_Addie took a deep breath and turned to face him with a smile. “Well, I’m going to bed. Goodnight, Sirius.”_

_Sirius caught her arm as she passed. “No. No, Addie, I know what she just told you. You can’t just walk away from that. Please …”_

_“Walk away from what?” Addie asked flatly._

_Sirius was already on edge after the day’s events and his patience had been stretched to the limit. “You know full well what I mean, Addie! I love you, alright? I’ve been in love with you since first year and every moment I’m not with you physically hurts.” He pulled her to him and kissed her, pouring everything he felt into it._

_When he pulled away, her eyes were brimming with tears. “I’m scared, Sirius.” She whispered. “I don’t want to get hurt again.”_

The conversation echoed vaguely in Addie’s mind as she woke up, but what came next was a blur, probably because of the tears she’d shed.

She blinked away the sleep from her eyes, wondering why her vision was dark still, only to realise that she had fallen asleep in Sirius’s arms, her face buried in his chest.

Someone cleared their throat and her cheeks burned as she sat up, disentangling herself as he stretched, still half-asleep.

Hermione was smirking at her from one of the beanbags. A teenage boy sat beside her, who looked very familiar …

“You’re Neville, aren’t you?” Addie asked. “Alice’s son?”

Neville looked startled, but nodded. “Yes – how’d you guess?”

“Family resemblance.” Addie answered, wishing for a mirror to appear on the wall. The blush had receded somewhat and she turned to nudge Sirius awake. “Padfoot?”

“’M awake!” Sirius started violently, falling off the sofa.

Luckily, Addie had already stood up and she giggled at the sight. “Neville’s here.”

“Neville?” Sirius looked puzzled for a second or two, before his face cleared. “Oh, Frank and Alice. Ads, you know I’m no good with names when I’ve just woken up.”

“Sirius, you’re no good with anything when you’ve just woken up.” Addie sniggered. “I’ll go and get her.”

“Is Frank not joining us then?” Sirius asked, shaking Neville’s hand heartily.

“I don’t think so.” Hermione answered with a frown. “The note said that Neville was our last reader.”

Addie ran into the room reserved for Alice, Mandy and Arabella, running to the nearest bed and shaking her. “Alice! Alice, you’ve got to wake up!”

Alice jolted awake. “What?!”

“Neville’s here!” Addie told her with a grin. “Come on, you have to get up!”

Alice threw the covers off her and jumped out of bed. “Why didn’t you say so?!” She rushed from the room, skidding to a halt when she spotted Neville, talking to Hermione.

Hermione caught her eye and smiled, turning Neville to face her. “Alice, this is Neville, Nev, this is your mother, Alice.”

Seeing Frank’s eyes in a face so much like hers caused Alice to burst into tears and throw her arms around him, holding him close, apologising over and over again for leaving him.

Hermione chuckled to herself, as Neville’s terrified expression softened and he patted Alice on the back gently, trying to calm her.

Leaving them to get acquainted, Hermione jogged down the hall, knocking on doors as she passed, before returning to the newly-appeared kitchen to start breakfast.

Once everyone had eaten and Neville had been introduced to and greeted by everyone – including Draco, who shook him firmly by the hand and apologised – they all settled back down in the reading room and waited.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, another note appeared in _Addie_ ’s hand. ““Good morning, everyone.”” She read aloud. ““First of all, Neville, we’re sorry for kidnapping you, but we thought you should be here. Second of all, we feel an explanation is in order about these books. After everything happened, the rumours that spread were interesting, to say the least. These books were created to explain everything. Originally, we put the information into the head of a Muggle author, but that backfired spectacularly. Not with the books you’ve already read, or even with the fourth and fifth (although they began to stray from the truth), but the sixth and seventh … Well, best not get into that. As such, we will not be sending you _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_ , _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ , _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_ or _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._ Instead we will be sending the books that we wrote using a complicated mixture of potions and charms – no, Hermione, we’re not going to tell you.””

Hermione sniffed. “I didn’t want to know anyway.”

“Somehow I doubt that.” _Addie_ chuckled, before beginning to read again. ““So from now on, the books aren’t just from Harry’s point of view. Sincerely, your friends.””

“We’ve progressed.” James commented. “We’re getting goodbyes now.”

The note glowed and turned into a book.

“Uncovering the Truth.” _Addie_ read. “Sounds interesting.”

“Well, let’s get going then.” Lily said, settling back onto a beanbag.


	2. Prologue

_Addie_ cleared her throat.

**Prologue**

“Doesn’t sound like too much will be in this chapter.” James commented.

“It’s probably a recap for people who didn’t read the first three.” Harry shrugged. “Especially since they were written by different people.”

“And it’s from Hermione’s point of view.” _Addie_ added.

Hermione choked on her coffee. “What?!”

Harry just smirked. “Payback time, Mione.”

**Hermione Granger’s room was just like that of any other teenage girl. Maybe a few more books than clothes, but all in all there was nothing about the room that suggested that strange and mysterious things often happened to the girl that occupied it …**

“To me?” Hermione repeated. “Try Harry – it’s not my fault.”

**… except that the titles of the books included _Hogwarts: A History_ , _A History of Magic_ and _Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_.**

“Trust you.” Fred smirked.

Hermione smacked him over the head.

**On the nightstand, there stood a photograph of three teenagers: a girl with bushy brown hair, with her arms around two boys, one with red hair and freckles …**

“Ron.” Fred grinned.

**… the other with messy black hair and bright green eyes …**

“Me!” Harry added.

**… all three waving at the camera. This was Hermione and her two best friends, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, and, truthfully, strange and mysterious things happened to all three of them, not just her.**

“Thank you.” Hermione said smugly. “It’s _not_ just me.”

“We didn’t disagree with you.” Lily chuckled.

**Avoiding strange and mysterious things when you attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was like trying to get Harry’s hair to lie flat.**

Hermione eyed Harry’s head. “Yeah, well, I’m not giving up on that yet.”

“I would.” David advised. “Countless women have tried.”

**It just wasn’t possible. She should know; she’d tried it enough times.**

Hermione glared at the book, not wishing to concede defeat yet.

**To be completely honest, it may have been more possible to avoid those things, if it weren’t for Harry.**

Harry looked down, looking a little sheepish. Hermione smacked him upside the head, picking up the sense of guilt in the air.

**Harry’s penchant for trouble had started when he was just fifteen months old …**

“Oh, here we go.” Lily sighed.

**… when Lord Voldemort – the most evil wizard since Grindelwald – had murdered his parents before turning his wand on the young child. Somehow, the curse had backfired, reducing Voldemort to a mere spirit and leaving Harry with a lightning bolt scar and the nickname ‘The Boy-Who-Lived’.**

Harry rolled his eyes.

**Trouble followed Harry around like a plague, but she wouldn’t swap him for the world.**

“Damn right I wouldn’t.” Hermione growled, glaring at Harry.

**In fact, it was because of this trouble that they were even friends in the first place: Voldemort had possessed their first year Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirrell, in an attempt to steal the Philosopher’s Stone – a rare gem that could create the Elixir of Life and was hidden at the school.**

**On Halloween night, in an attempt to lure Headmaster Dumbledore and the other teachers away from the hiding place, Quirrell/Voldemort let a mountain troll into the school – a mountain troll that trapped Hermione in the girls’ bathroom.**

“Don’t remind me!” _Sirius_ muttered.

“Sorry.” Harry whispered.

Hermione grabbed a pillow again and hit him on the head. “Stop it.”

“But, Hermione, if it weren’t for me, Voldemort wouldn’t have been there!” Harry protested.

“Oh, so _you_ put the Philosopher’s Stone in the castle?” Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

“But it’s my fault!” Harry protested.

Hermione hit him again.

“Ow!” Harry ducked. “Hermione!”

“It’ll keep happening.” Hermione warned. “If you don’t stop.”

“You’ve never asked anyone to do anything.” Neville added, a little nervously. “You don’t have the ability to control other people’s actions.”

**Harry and Ron, realising in the panic that she was missing, went to find her and, through sheer dumb luck and a cleverly placed Levitation Charm (even though Ron swore it was just the first spell that came into his head) …**

“It was.” Fred sniggered.

**… saved her life.**

**The three young Gryffindors became best friends …**

“Bloody hell.” Draco muttered. “That’s how you became friends?”

Hermione was momentarily startled, but then remembered. “Of course. You weren’t here for the first book. Yes it was.”

**… and went on to help save the Philosopher’s Stone from Voldemort’s clutches, escaping with only the slightest of injuries …**

“Slightest of injuries?!” Lily repeated, slightly hysterically. “Harry nearly died!”

 _Addie_ chuckled slightly. “I wasn’t finished.”

**… (except for Harry, who nearly died, but Hermione had become abnormally used to that as well).**

It didn’t do anything for Lily’s nerves, but everyone else sniggered.

“You don’t get hurt this year, right?” Lily asked fretfully.

Harry didn’t answer, avoiding her eyes, and she nestled into James with a groan.

 _Addie_ glanced at Ginny as she read ahead. Fred noticed and caught on, grabbing Ginny’s hand.

**In their second year, Ron’s younger sister, Ginny, had been possessed by a diary that had belonged to Tom Riddle, Voldemort’s alter-ego.**

Ginny shuddered and Draco rubbed her arm awkwardly.

**As a result, the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and several students, including Hermione, had been Petrified.**

**Despite a fake as a DADA teacher and Professor Dumbledore’s temporary removal from the school, Harry and Ron had discovered what had been going on and Harry had saved Ginny’s life.**

“Huh.” Harry commented. “It didn’t mention about slaying a giant basilisk with Gryffindor’s sword.”

Hermione chuckled. “You know, if anyone but you said that, it would sound really conceited.”

**Last year, it had seemed that Harry’s life was, once again, in danger.**

“But I wasn’t.” Harry put in.

**A dangerous criminal had escaped from Azkaban Prison and was supposedly after Hermione’s best friend.**

**However, as always with Harry’s luck, it swung both ways.**

“Of course it did.” Hermione said affectionately.

**In response to this threat, Professor Dumbledore hired Remus Lupin as the DADA teacher, a man who quickly became the favourite of most students.**

**Despite the intimidating presence of Dementors around the school and the inability to visit Hogsmeade with the rest of his class-mates, Harry’s year only improved with the arrival of the first Quidditch match ….**

_Addie_ hesitated. “Erm, the next part’s a flashback, but we read it in the last book about Mandy and Arabella arriving, so I’m just going to skip it.”

Mandy shrugged. “That’s fine. We know what happened.”

 _Addie_ scanned down the page to the next part. “Okay …”

**Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for Harry’s luck to swing back to bad again, and he was soon plummeting fifty feet from his broom …**

Hermione, Lily and _Sirius_ all shuddered.

**… paralysed by the crippling effects of the Dementors. Thankfully, Dumbledore was able to slow Harry’s descent, saving his life, even if his broom did fly into the Whomping Willow and end up match-sticks.**

Harry bowed his head. “Poor thing.”

Hermione sighed. “Let it go, Harry. You’ve got a Firebolt now.”

**This was then followed by the discovery of the extent of Sirius Black’s crimes: he** **had betrayed his best friends, and Harry’s parents, James and Lily Potter, to Voldemort and, when confronted by Peter Pettigrew, another of their friends, had blown the street apart, killing Peter and twelve Muggles.**

_Addie_ paused, glancing at the next few paragraphs. Making a swift decision, she left _Sirius_ ’s side and settled down next to Hermione, wrapping an arm around the girl’s shoulders. Everyone was slightly startled by her actions, but her next words explained everything.

**That year had been one of the worst of Hermione’s life.**

Harry sighed, feeling very guilty, but Hermione squeezed his hand and gave him a soft smile.

**Her cat, Crookshanks, seemed intent on eating Ron’s pet rat, Scabbers, and Ron had stopped talking to her, especially when Scabbers disappeared, leaving only drops of blood and ginger hairs on Ron’s bed.**

**Hermione knew her cat was innocent – he’d been ill in her dorm all day – but Ron – and, even worse, Harry – refused to listen to her.**

Harry flinched. “Sorry …”

“Stop it.” Hermione told him.

**Harry’s silent treatment started at Christmas, when he had received a Firebolt – the best racing broom money could buy – with no note. Worried that it might be a ploy by Black to harm her best friend, Hermione had informed their Head of House, Professor McGonagall, who had confiscated the broom for testing.**

**Hermione was used to being alone and ignored – she had spent her childhood like that – but now she had friends, the experience hurt. On top of the sudden loneliness, she had to deal with the utter exhaustion of taking all of the electives offered by Hogwarts.**

Hermione squeezed Harry’s hand again, but said nothing, accepting the comfort _Addie_ offered her.

**However, the ‘Golden Trio’, as they had come to be known, were reunited for a common cause when Hagrid’s hippogriff Buckbeak was to be executed by the Ministry of Magic. Upon visiting their large friend, they were** **pulled into another adventure – Ron quite literally – by a large black dog that turned out to be Sirius Black himself.**

_Addie_ gave the room a warning glance, wanting to get it all over with at once.

**Despite an interruption by their Potions teacher, Professor Snape, Sirius and Professor Lupin managed to tell them what _really_ happened that day:**

**Peter had betrayed Harry’s parents and, when confronted, faked his death, killing twelve people in the process, and spent the next twelve years hiding as Ron’s pet rat, Scabbers, who had been found in Hagrid’s hut that evening.**

**Pettigrew unfortunately escaped and knocked out when the moon rose and Lupin transformed into a werewolf. Saved by Harry’s Patronus, the two conscious teens used a time-turner to travel back in time** **and rescue Buckbeak from execution and Sirius from the Dementor’s Kiss, helping the two fugitives escape together.**

“That was amazing, by the way.” James grinned, sensing that the hard part was over.

**Currently, Hermione was sitting at her bedroom window, her head pounding and a fresh bruise on her face.**

“Where did the bruise come from?” Narcissa asked sharply. Trying to keep the balance at home was never easy and, as a result, she was forced to abandon the disowned members of her family, however much she wished she wasn’t.

It was nice to be able to spend time with Sirius and Jen again, and she found herself feeling just as protective over her cousin’s ‘daughter’ as she did her own future child.

Hermione looked at the floor. “I think you’ll find out.” She now knew how Harry felt with his home-life being broadcasted.

**Her face was bruised because her father had overreacted a little when she’d told him she was dropping her two extra classes.**

“That is not a good reason.” _Sirius_ growled, pulling Hermione into his arms again. She didn’t protest, burying her face in his robes as Harry rubbed her back, looking furious.

“Over-reacted.” James muttered with a scowl. “Shouting about it would be ‘over-reacting’; this is just …” He trailed off, wrapping an arm around Lily’s shoulders to calm her.

**Her head was pounding because … Actually, she didn’t know why her head pounding. Recently her emotions seemed completely out of her control, things she didn’t understand, things she wasn’t even sure belonged to her.**

“Your empathy?” Jen guessed, seeing how uncomfortable Hermione was with all the attention.

Hermione nodded.

**Added to all that, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something awful was about to happen.**

**What was going on?**

_Addie_ glanced up. “That’s the end. Since it was so short, anyone have any objections if I read the next one as well?”


	3. Chapter One - Sirius Encounters

No one argued, and _Addie_ turned to the next page and chuckled.

**Chapter One**

**Sirius Encounters**

“Hmm, I wonder who’s in this chapter.” James said thoughtfully.

“I don’t know, Prongs.” Remus mused. “No one comes to mind.”

**Hermione was shaken from her thoughts by the sight of Ron’s tiny owl speeding towards the house; she just managed to get the window open before he collided with it and grabbed him out of the air, removing the letter before he could to what Ginny had dubbed ‘the Pig Thing’.**

“What’s the ‘Pig thing’?” Lily asked curiously.

Ginny giggled. “He’s hyperactive, so if you don’t get the letter quickly, he won’t stay still long enough for you to rescue it.”

**Waving her problems aside for the moment, she focused on Ron’s letter:**

**_Hermione,_ **

**_DAD GOT THE TICKETS!!_ **

James let out a whoop. “Yes, you’re going to the cup!”

Harry was gaping at the book. “Hang on … How come you didn’t tell me earlier?”

Ginny flinched. “I think the letter explains that.”

**_I don’t know if Ginny’s already written to you about this; I know she has been. Can you believe she managed to name my owl? What kind of a name is Pigwidgeon anyway?_ **

“A good one.” Ginny scowled.

**_Dad’s going to come and pick you up next Wednesday morning at ten; owl back if that’s okay. Charlie and Bill are arriving in a few days. Harry’s not coming until a few days before the match; Dumbledore says he has to stay with his aunt and uncle until then, poor buggar._ **

Harry scowled. “I don’t know why.”

“Who is Dumbledore to tell my son where he can and cannot go?!” Lily demanded.

“It might be a blood ward.” David commented. “If it was Lily’s sacrifice – or willingness to do so – that saved Harry, Dumbledore could have set up blood wards around her sister’s house. He’d need to stay with blood relatives for at least a month every year.”

Hermione frowned. “But I’ve read about those. Don’t they need love to power them? And they don’t love him.”

Lily paled. “Does that mean that Death Eaters could find my baby at any minute?”

Harry blushed. “I’m sure there are other protections there, Mum. After all, the Death Eaters haven’t found me yet.”

**_Don’t tell Mum I said that. So if you could not mention we’ve got the tickets; I’ll tell him nearer the time. We were going to wait until then to invite you over too – Mum didn’t think we should deprive your parents of time with you …_ **

“No, no.” Hermione said hastily. “Deprive away.”

**_… but Bill and Charlie have heard so much about you from me and Ginny – and even the twins, if you can believe that – and they want to meet their new little sister._ **

“They love you.” Fred grinned. “Practically adopted you and Harry straight away.”

James and Lily both beamed.

**_Owl back about next Wednesday, okay?_ **

**_Ron_ **

**Hermione sighed, knowing that her parents were at work until late that evening.**

**_Now what? I can’t just say yes and Dad will never let me go. It was hard enough convincing him to let me go to Diagon Alley last summer._ **

“Leave.” Jen said simply. “You don’t need that, Hermione – walk away.”

**Hermione often acted as part-time counsellor for her two best friends …**

Ginny coughed pointedly.

**… three if she counted Ginny (and she often did).**

“Better.” Ginny smiled.

**She was the one Ginny confided in about the nightmares that plagued her after her first year.**

**She was the one who talked to Ron about his inferiority complex, brought on by five, very successful, older brothers, convincing him that he had just as much to offer the world.**

**She was the only person Harry would talk to about his aunt and uncle, at least without the dismissive tone he used around everyone else.**

“And he didn’t tell me everything.” Hermione scowled. “Damn abusive …”

Harry shifted in his seat, cutting her off. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”  
“Harry, it is a big deal!” Hermione protested, before sighing. “We’ll talk later. Let’s get this over with.”

**But none of them knew that her home-life was awful. Maybe not _as_ bad as Harry’s, but awful nonetheless.**

“No, Hermione, yours was worse.” Harry told her quietly. “They never physically hurt me. Not really.”

“Not really is still too much, Harry.” Lily told him calmly, but with an angry glint in her eye. “Both of you are living with people who are not fit to raise children.”

**Her mother was somewhat distant, even though she seemed to dote on her …**

“And lie to me.” Hermione murmured, running a hand through her darker hair.

**… but her father was nothing short of a control freak.**

“I could think of some other names.” _Sirius_ growled.

**Nothing was ever good enough for Steven Granger and though his wife bore the brunt more often than not …**

Jen growled in the back of her throat and Remus tightened his arms around her.

**… Hermione couldn’t always escape the backlash, hence the bruise on her face.**

**Until she started school, the idea of other children was a foreign concept; she had practically grown up in the library, leaving her with an almost unhealthy love of books and a lack of social skills.**

**If it weren’t for the ‘troll incident’, she doubted she would have any friends at all.**

Harry would have hugged her if _Sirius_ hadn’t been already. He settled for squeezing her hand instead.

**Even now, her father needed to control her life, from where she went, to when she got her school supplies, to how she got to the station each year.**

“Not anymore.” Hermione said quietly, satisfaction laden in her voice.

**Sometimes, Jane Granger would come into her daughter’s bedroom when she thought she was asleep and apologise, although Hermione didn’t know why.**

“For the memory charm, probably.” Lily commented, her voice shaking slightly.

**Sometimes, when they talked about Hogwarts, Jane would look solemnly at Hermione, as though about to say something, but then change the subject.**

Hermione sighed, wishing her mother had just told her the truth.

**Other times, lying awake at night, if she thought very, very hard, Hermione could remember warm arms and a friendly chuckle that seemed to be more in tune with ‘Dad’ in her mind than her own father …**

Hermione smiled as _Sirius_ kissed her head.

**… and she would dream that maybe there was another ‘father’ in her life, who would take her away.**

“Would if I could, Kitten.” _Sirius_ whispered. “You’re not going back there. And you’re …” he added, meeting Harry’s eyes over her head “… not going back to the Dursleys.”

“But Dumbledore …” Harry sighed.

 _Sirius_ muttered something under his breath, about where Dumbledore should go and what he should do while he was at it. _Addie_ smacked him on the arm. “Watch your language around the children, please.”

**But then logic would kick in, and she would tell herself that there was no evidence of this man anywhere, and, anyway, memories didn’t stretch back that far.**

“They do if you’re a natural.” _Addie_ said softly. “And memory-charms don’t hit your subconscious memory.”

**She looked back down at the letter, scowling at the news that Harry would have to stay with his aunt and uncle. _Why? They don’t give a damn about him. At least he’s got Jessica, I suppose._**

**To make up for the lack of care and attention Harry received from his aunt and uncle, he had a next door neighbour who apparently doted on him.**

“She does.” Harry stated.

Lily smiled and leaned forward, eager to hear more about this woman.

**Jessica Brown was the only reason Harry ever even mentioned Privet Drive and often sent him letters at Hogwarts.**

“Good.” James whispered.

**Harry had confided in Hermione in first year about how much he hated lying to Jess about his new school – unfortunately, it was against wizarding law to tell Muggles about magic unless they were immediate relatives.**

**However, Jessica made that leap for Harry. Throughout his childhood, she had been plagued with amazing dreams, which she had turned into stories, about magic and love and friendship, all set in a huge castle with a lake and a forest.**

“I wonder …” David murmured.

“What is it, Dad?” James asked.

“Well, what we were just saying about memory charms not hitting your subconscious memory …” David nodded at _Addie_. “It’s possible that this woman was hit by one as well and that would explain the dreams. A truth-dreamer would explain her seeing Harry’s time at Hogwarts, but if she was already dreaming before that – there’s no way she imagined the castle, not in that much detail.”

“But who?” _Sirius_ asked. “And how? Memory charms might not affect your subconscious, but you still need a reason to break it.”

 _Addie_ cleared her throat and kept reading, knowing they were unlikely to figure out who she was, at least without more information.

**Following his first year, she had told him of a new dream she’d had, involving him this time, and how he’d gone to that castle to learn magic, and made two best friends.**

**When she’d finished telling him her dream – which had basically been a condensed version of his first year – Harry had confided in her, and she had become his one ally – aside from his owl, Hedwig – on Privet Drive, giving him refuge over the summer, support over the school years, and having ever-intriguing dreams, which seemed to be becoming less literal, and more prophetic.**

“Definitely a witch.” David confirmed.

**Hermione read the invitation again with a sigh.** **_I could run away, I suppose. The Muggle police can’t track down anyone they can’t find._ **

“No, they can’t.” Lily agreed. “Good idea.”

**_I could stay with the Weasleys; I’m sure Ginny would hide me in her room._ **

“You wouldn’t have to hide.” Ginny frowned. “Mum and Dad would let you stay.”

**_Or I could hide in the cupboard that Harry used to live in._ **

Harry grimaced. “You don’t want to hide in there, Mione. Trust me.”

**_Or, if it comes to it, I could just find Sirius._ **

“Kitten, as much as I’d want you with me, I’d rather you weren’t on the run from the Ministry of Magic.” _Sirius_ told her gently.

**With a sad smile, she shook her head, her famous logic kicking back in. _Like that would work._**

“It would work!” Fred protested.

**A knock at the door cut into her thoughts, making her jump, and she checked her reflection, pushing her hair down so it covered the bruise on her face …**

“Obviously a common thing.” Narcissa frowned.

Draco gazed at the floor. He had often done the same thing, keeping his hair a little longer than he preferred it to hide any bruises his father might give him, just so his mother never found out.

**… before hurrying downstairs to answer it.**

**A middle-aged dark-haired woman was standing on the doorstep with a biscuit tin in her hands and a little girl and large dog in tow.**

“Sirius?” Jen asked. “How did you get there?”

“I thought you said you’d gone abroad.” Addie added, looking worried.

“I did go abroad.” _Sirius_ told them. “I just got a little delayed.”

**Just as Hermione realised that the dog looked familiar, he jumped up to greet her and she bit back a gasp, Catching sight of stormy grey eyes that had only recently ceased sending stabs of fear through her.**

“Thanks, Hermione.” Sirius pouted.

“Well, you can’t blame her, Padfoot.” James pointed out with a smirk. “You _are_ quite terrifying.”

**“Padfoot!”**

“Never been so relieved to see you in my life.” _Sirius_ chuckled.

“What the hell were you doing?” Regulus demanded.

“Pretending to be a loveable stray.” _Sirius_ answered.

 _Addie_ snorted. “Sweetheart, there’s no way you could pull that off.”

**At this, the little girl’s smile faded into a sulky pout, but the woman looked quite relieved. “Oh, thank heavens! Is he yours?”**

_Addie_ couldn’t help the smirk that crossed her face.

**“Mummy!” The little girl whined. “You said we could keep her!”**

Harry, James and Remus fell about laughing as Sirius went bright red.

“Padfoot, this is the kind of thing you should have told me _before_ we started dating.” _Addie_ remarked, making Hermione fall into fits of giggles as well.

Hearing her laughing again, _Sirius_ didn’t argue, but he did give _Addie_ a loaded glance that sent her right back to intimate hours in the Room of Requirement.

Managing to get her blush under control, _Addie_ cleared her throat and began reading again.

**“I said we could keep _him_ if we didn’t find who he belonged to.” Her mother corrected. “Is he?”**

**Hermione glanced down. “Sort of. I’m pet-sitting for a friend – he got out of the garden …**

“Good excuse.” David complimented. “Gives him a reason to stay with you and stops the neighbours being suspicious about a new dog.”

**… I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”**

**“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Chloe Taylor, this is my daughter Madeline. We’ve just moved into Number Ten. We found the dog in the park last week, but we couldn’t see any posters.”**

“Uh oh.” Lily murmured. “How’d you get out of that one?”

**Hermione didn’t let her smile slip. “Yes, Harry warned me that Padfoot was an escape artist. Apparently, he likes to disappear for a few days and then come wandering back in like nothing’s happened. He advised that I wait at least a week before panicking.”**

“Very good excuse.” David corrected.

“Makings of a Marauder.” James stated with a grin. “Both of you.” He added, looking at Harry, who beamed at him.

**Mrs Taylor chuckled. “Quite the character then.”**

Addie snorted. “Something like that.”

**“Oh, you have no idea.” Hermione murmured, scratching Padfoot’s head. “I’m Hermione Granger, by the way. Mum and Dad are the dentists in town.”**

**Madeline brightened at this. “I like Dr Granger!”**

“That must be Jane.” Jen muttered.

**“I took her in for a check-up the other day.” Mrs Taylor explained with a smile. “Your mother’s wonderful.”**

Jen nodded at being proved right.

**“I’ll let her know.” Hermione said. “She is great with children. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?”**

**“Oh, that’s very kind of you, but I’m taking Madeline into the city today.”**

“Thankfully.” Hermione sighed. “I really wasn’t in the mood for small talk.”

“Then why did you invite her in?” Harry asked in bewilderment.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “To be polite.”

**Mrs Taylor ruffled Madeline’s hair. “We were just stopping by to say hello and to bring you biscuits.”**

“I like her.” James announced.

Lily chuckled. “You like anyone who gives out free food. I wish I could bake.”

For some reason, this caused _Sirius_ to start laughing and it took him a while to calm down. “Sorry,” he said eventually, still grinning. “I just forgot there was a time Lily couldn’t bake.”

“You mean I learn?” Lily asked, her eyes lighting up.

“You couldn’t take one step inside your home without smelling chocolate chip cookies.” _Sirius_ told her with a smile. “They were the _best_.”

**“Oh, thank you.” Hermione accepted the tin. “Welcome to Colgate.”**

“Isn’t that a brand of toothpaste?” Harry asked, wrinkling his nose.

“It is.” Hermione confirmed. “It’s also a small village near Crawley, in West Sussex.”

**Mrs Taylor thanked her and led Madeline away, the little girl complaining about wanting a puppy.**

“Charming child.” Lily remarked.

**Hermione closed the door and led the way into the kitchen, setting the biscuit tin on the side. “You can change back now; I’m the only one home.”**

**A soft ‘pop’ from behind her told her that Sirius had done just that. “If I’d known you lived here, I’d have found you instead.”**

**For a split second, it seemed he was going to say something else …**

“I was going to mention that you’d moved.” _Sirius_ explained. “But you hadn’t mentioned anything yet, so I decided to follow your lead.”

**… but he didn’t. Ignoring that, Hermione leaned against the counted, smiling at him. “What are you doing here?”**

**Sirius shrugged. “Well, I was heading out of the country. I stopped off at Moony’s – Professor Lupin’s – place briefly, but the sooner I get abroad, the sooner I can get ‘accidentally’ spotted and get those Dementors off your back.”**

_Addie_ shuddered at the thought. **  
Hermione couldn’t help shuddering at the reminder. Her reaction to the cloaked demons had been nothing compared to Harry’s, but the screams in her head that started around them seemed badly-tuned and chillingly familiar, which frightened Hermione more than anything, because she had no idea what she was supposed to be remembering.**

“That must have been awful.” Lily sympathised.

Hermione nodded wordlessly.

**Sirius made a motion as though he was about to move towards her …**

“Instinct.” _Sirius_ admitted.

**… but thought better of it. “Anyway, there’s only so far a hippogriff can fly in one journey so we landed in the woodland behind all these gardens. Buckbeak was exhausted and I was starving.”**

“You’re always starving.” _Addie_ said affectionately.

**Hermione was just about to offer him a biscuit when the front door opened. Her face drained of colour. “That’s Dad.**

David scowled. “No child should be that scared at the thought of their own parent.”

**You’d better hide.”  
Sirius transformed into Padfoot again and darted under the sideboard. If he lay flat and stayed quiet …**

“Hardest thing I’ve ever done.” _Sirius_ growled, tightening his embrace.

**… he could blend in with the shadows.**

**Steven Granger appeared in the doorway seconds later. “What’s that?”**

“What does it matter?!” James growled. Like Narcissa, he’d become very fond of Hermione over the last two days.

**“Home-made biscuits.” Hermione answered, her voice shaking. “Mrs Taylor dropped them off. She’s just moved in to Number Ten. Mum treated her daughter the other day.”**

**“Why aren’t you doing your homework?” Her father asked sharply, moving across the kitchen to open the fridge.**

“Because if I know Hermione, she’s already done it.” Harry answered, attempting a smile. “Plus a boatload of extra work.”

 _Sirius_ nodded to him as he felt Hermione smile weakly, but didn’t let go of her. He knew that Harry would need him at some point during this book, but right now, it was Hermione who needed someone.

**“I’ve already done it.” Hermione replied. “Dad, the Weasleys have invited me to stay for the rest of the summer. May I go please?”**

**“No.” Her father answered shortly.**

“That’s not fair.” Lily stated.

**“But Dad, you won’t have to take me anywhere.” Hermione said tentatively. “Mr Weasley would come and pick me up.”**

**“And where would you be sleeping?” Steven asked bluntly.**

**“In Ginny’s room probably.” Hermione answered. “Because Harry shares with Ron and …”**

**“Oh, he’ll be there too, will he?” Steven interrupted.**

“And just what is wrong with my son?” Lily asked coolly.

**“Why would they even _want_ you there?”  
“Because they’re my friends.” Hermione said quietly.**

**Steven gave a derisive snort. “Who’d want to be friends with an insufferable little know-it-all like you?”**

“Me.” Harry answered through gritted teeth.

“And me.” Neville added firmly, getting a glowing smile from Alice.

“And us.” Fred said, indicating Ginny, who nodded.

“And me.” Draco finished quietly.

Harry, Neville and Fred gaped, but Hermione lifted her head and smiled. “Thank you, Draco.”

Draco’s cheeks turned slightly pink as he stared unfalteringly at her. “Well, it’s true.”

Narcissa smiled proudly and patted his hand.

**Hermione flinched, wanting to argue that he couldn’t expect her to get top marks in everything she did academically and _not_ be a ‘know-it-all’, but she knew better than to do that.**

**A low growl sounded from beneath the sideboard …**

Addie stiffened. “Don’t do it.” She murmured.

**… and she moved in front of his, hoping to stop Padfoot from moving.**

“Good move.” _Addie_ gave _Sirius_ a look. “You need to control yourself.”

“Not that easy.” _Sirius_ told her darkly.

**The last thing she needed was for her father to know he was there.**

**“Harry and Ron.” She answered quietly.**

**Her father lifted his hand and she flinched again …**

David hissed and muttered something about child abuse and the ministry.

**… but he only lifted a glass out of the cupboard. “You’re not going. End of story.”**

**“But …” Hermione instinctively ducked, knowing as soon as the word left her lips that she had pushed it too far, and was proved right when the glass hit the wall behind her head.**

Shouts of outrage filled the room.

Hermione whimpered and buried her face in _Sirius_ ’s robes. He rubbed her back soothingly and gestured for _Addie_ to continue as quickly as possible.

**“You ungrateful little brat!” Steven spat. “Your mother and I work hard to put food in your mouth and a roof over your head and you repay us by running off to that … that … _place_ every year …**

“He’s sounding annoyingly like Aunt Petunia.” Harry growled.

**… and disappearing off with those boys as soon as you get the chance. Well, I’ve had it with you – the moment you walk out of that door again, you are no longer our daughter. Do you understand?”**

“What a horrible man!” Lily cried.

“How could your mother let that happen?” _Addie_ asked shakily.

“She loves him.” Hermione murmured. **  
“Yes.” Hermione whispered, focusing on her feet. A sharp blow to the side of her face made her stagger backwards, clutching the sideboard for support, and amend her answer. “Yes, sir.”**

“Loves him.” _Addie_ muttered. “I don’t care if she loves him or not, if James had ever treated Harry like that …”

“James wouldn’t.” Lily interrupted fiercely. “And I’d have murdered him myself.”

“Exactly.” _Addie_ agreed, glaring at the book in her hand.

**“Good.” Steven packed the sandwiches into a bag, grabbed a bottle of cola from the fridge and left the room. “And for God’s sake, clean that mess up.”**

“You do it!” Lily snapped. “You caused it.”

**Hermione didn’t move until the front door had slammed shut. Then she fetched a broom from the cupboard and began to sweep up the shards of glass, hearing the tell-tale ‘pop’ of an Animagus transformation behind her. She didn’t turn, focusing instead on keeping the tears from spilling from her eyes. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”**

“He’s the one who should be sorry!” Alice muttered.

**There were quiet footsteps behind her and she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Does that happen a lot?”**

“I’m surprised you were so calm.” _Addie_ commented.

“Anger scared her when she was a baby.” _Sirius_ explained. “So I figured I’d best go with the calm option, even if it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”

**“Him disowning me?” Hermione let out a shaky laugh.**

“There is nothing funny about this.” Fred muttered.

“I’d rather laugh than cry.” Hermione whispered, turning her head so they could hear her. “I guess I get it from Padfoot.”

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “Probably.”

**“No, that’s the first time.”**

**Sirius took the broom from her hands and sat her down at the kitchen table. “Him treating you like that.”**

**“Yeah, he does it all the time.”**

There were a few muttered curses at how casual she sounded.

**Hermione avoided his gaze as he swept the glass out of the back door.**

**Sirius shook his head. “Well, if I were him, I’d be pretty glad I’m still a wanted man.”**

**“Why’s that?” Hermione asked, wiping her eyes.**

“Ask a silly question.” James muttered.

**“Because otherwise, I wouldn’t have needed a wand to kick his arse.” Sirius answered bluntly.**

“As soon as I get back, Padfoot, we have several people who need some personal attention from the Marauders.” James stated.

“I was just thinking that, Prongs.” Sirius said with a dark smirk.

**Hermione giggled slightly. “It’s fine, Sirius, really.”**

“It is not fine.” Addie muttered.

**“No, it’s not fine.” Sirius disagreed.**

No one laughed.

**“Nothing gives him the right to treat you like that.”**

**Hermione shrugged slightly. “Maybe.” She glanced up. “What do you think I should do?”**

“Call his bluff.” Jen advised. “That’s what we did.”

**Sirius pulled the other chair round to sit next to her. “Honestly? Call his bluff.”**

This time, James chuckled weakly at the coincidence, but no one else did.

**“What if he’s not bluffing?” Hermione whispered.**

**Sirius smiled at her. “Then you don’t need it. Trust me, Hermione, I was disowned after my first year at Hogwarts …**

“Disowned?” David repeated sharply. “I thought you just decided to stay with those second-cousins?”

“Well, it was more that we were forced into it.” _Sirius_ admitted, glancing at Regulus, who was staring at the floor.

**… never legally, for some reason …**

“Means you’re the head of the family.” Jen commented.

Sirius pulled a face. “There’s nothing in those vaults that I want any connection to.”

“No, but there’s also nothing in those vaults I want Lucius Malfoy getting his hands on.” _Sirius_ pointed out, giving Narcissa an apologetic look.

**… I guess Mother and Father figured they didn’t need to since I had an older brother.**

Regulus closed his eyes.

**My parents were big on blood purity and the entire family in Slytherin. When I was sorted into Gryffindor, they weren’t happy. Telling them I was never going to join Voldemort pushed them over the edge.”**

“Pushed them over the edge?” David repeated quietly.

Jen flinched and nestled into Remus’s arms.

Sirius was pale, but answered monotonously. “Couple of curses. Bad ones. We’d made an agreement on the way home that if one of us got the chance to escape, we would. So when I …”

“He turned up outside my house accidentally.” Lily cut in, causing James to start. At Jen and Sirius’s request, the girls had kept this completely silent. “Annie owled Jane and she came to help us. She got Jen out the house and used the information to blackmail their parents into leaving them alone.”

“They were going to disown us anyway.” Jen added coldly. “All that did was stop them from killing us.”

“They wouldn’t have killed you.” Regulus argued softly.

“They already had a bloody good try.” Jen snapped. “Face it, Reg, they’ve got their Heir Apparent …” she sneered the title in a way any Slytherin would be proud of “… Sirius and I are just extra blood, that’s all. We’re nothing to them.”

Remus kissed her forehead. “But you’re everything to us.” He whispered, causing her to relax slightly.

“Long story short,” _Sirius_ looked at David, “we got blasted off the family tree.”

**He looked curiously at her. “You didn’t flinch.”**

**Hermione shrugged. “Around Harry you don’t have the time.**

“Still couldn’t say it though.” Harry teased.

“You can say it now.” Lily observed.

Hermione smiled weakly. “Well, a lot happened in a year.”

This did nothing for Lily’s nerves.

**So you think I’ll be alright if I walk out then?”**

**“People that treat you like that aren’t your family.” Sirius told her firmly. “Your family are the people who love you.”**

**“The Marauders.”**

“And Lily.” _Sirius_ added.

“What about us?” Arabella asked jokingly.

“Mind was aimed in another direction.” _Sirius_ admitted. “But of course, I count you two and Alice as well.”

“And me?” _Addie_ asked softly.

 _Sirius_ gave a mock-weary sigh. “Well, alright, I can count you as a sister as well, but we are going to have a long talk about …”

 _Addie_ clapped a hand over his mouth. “Stop. Honestly, is it impossible for you to be serious for more than five minutes?”

“But I’m always Sirius.” _Sirius_ protested.

 _Addie_ sighed. “Right, moving swiftly on.”

**Hermione guessed quietly, feeling grief rise up within her.**

“You remember?” Lily questioned.

Hermione shook her head. “Not yet.”

**She contemplated the feeling for a few minutes, before coming to the conclusion that it was far too strong to be hers. “Sirius … is there a magical gift or creature that can sense emotions? You know, like Seers can predict the future?”**

**Sirius looked thoughtful. “Sounds like empathy to me. But empaths have been classified as Dark since …**

Remus raised an eyebrow.

**… Oh, who am I to talk? I ran around with a werewolf once a month.**

There were a few chuckles at that.

“I thought you’d gone a bit crazy for a second there.” Remus smirked.

**And besides, it’s our choices, not our abilities, that make all the difference.”**

“Thank you, Professor Dumbledore.” James mocked.

**Hermione chuckled and stood up to rummage through the fridge. “I think Dumbledore said something like that to Harry once.”**

**Sirius grinned. “Probably. I nicked it off him. Actually, when Harry was born, I made a list of wise-sounding sentences that I’d heard other people say.”**

Lily burst out laughing. “Why on earth would you do that?”

 _Sirius_ grinned. “You’ll see.”

**“Why?” Hermione asked curiously, pulling some cold stew out of the fridge and adding it to a saucepan. There was still some left over from her care package to Harry.**

Lily’s amusement vanished immediately. “Care package?!”

“Relax, Mum.” Harry soothed. “It was nothing bad. Not really.”

**“Well, I am Harry’s godfather.” Sirius shrugged. “Just figured I should have some profound words for him every now then.**

“You have.” Harry remarked.

**That’s really more Moony’s forte than mine. Why were you asking about empathy?”**

**“I think I might have it.” Hermione admitted, setting the saucepan on the hob and turning it on. “Lately, I’ve just been … my emotions seem to be all over the place, except half of them I swear aren’t mine.**

“That’s because they’re not.” Fred told her in a spooky voice.

**Like just now – I never knew James and Lily Potter, which limits my sense of grief – I mean, it’s awful what happened, but …”**

**“You can’t mourn for someone you don’t know.” Sirius finished quietly.**

**“Exactly.” Hermione agreed wearily, sinking back into her chair. Another emotion rose between them, not quite grief, but close.**

“That was when I realised Jane hadn’t told you.” _Sirius_ explained. “And I knew I’d pretty much lost you.”

**She didn’t mention it, turning instead to her other piece of evidence. “And earlier, with Dad, I …” She trailed off, staring at the oven in horror.**

“What?” James asked sharply. “There wasn’t anyone in the fire, was there?”  
Hermione giggled. “No. We’ve got an electric oven.”

“An ecklectiric oven?” James repeated.

“There’s no fire, James.” Lily rolled her eyes. “I’ll show you over the summer.”

**Sirius followed her gaze. “What is it?”**

**“He hates me.” Hermione whispered.**

Tears seeped out of Hermione’s eyes again. Even though she had long since turned her back on her father, the thought still hurt.

**“My own father hates me.” A tear slipped down her cheek, quickly followed by another, and another.**

**As her body shook with the first heaving sob, she heard the other chair move and his arm wrapped around her shoulders, drawing her into a hug.**

“Wanted to do that the second I got there.” _Sirius_ murmured into her hair.

**“That’s because he’s crazy, Hermione. There’s nothing to hate.”**

**“And you’ve known me, what, a week?” Hermione sniffled.**

**His hold tightened momentarily before relaxing. “I’m a good judge of character.**

“Didn’t want to overwhelm you.” _Sirius_ whispered to her.

**Besides you did break Merlin knows how many wizarding laws the other week to save my life.”**

**Hermione managed a weak smile. It didn’t escape her notice that she was picking up more affection and positive emotion from Sirius than she ever had from her father. He would have yelled at her to get over it; she couldn’t remember the last time her father had shown her any physical affection … or any affection at all, for that matter.**

Hermione hugged him tightly. “I love you, dad.” She whispered.

 _Sirius_ closed his eyes, fighting back tears. “I love you too, Kitten.”

**“Thanks, Sirius.” Hermione pulled away, wiping her eyes. “Harry and Ron tend to panic when I break down on them.”**

**Sirius shrugged. “Eh, Lily used to break down on me all the time, so I’m used to it. I think it was so she didn’t freak James out.**

Lily frowned. “I never break down.”

 _Sirius_ smiled sadly, releasing Hermione. “After we graduated, as you might have guessed, we all joined the Order of the Phoenix, but that wasn’t a job. James, Jen and I all joined the aurors and Lily began studying to be a healer.”

David frowned. “Who covered the Potter accounts? I work half-time and the work still piles up.”

“Well, when I say Lily began studying, I don’t mean she actually finished.” _Sirius_ admitted. “After she and James got married, she took over the paperwork and then she was pregnant with Harry, so she never actually worked in St. Mungo’s. The bottom line is, even though she did go out on some Order missions, it was mostly James doing the actual fighting. She never really wanted to let James know how scared she was so she used to break down on me instead.” He paused, taking in the sombre atmosphere. “Ruined quite a few sets of robes as well.”

**He never did too well with crying girls.”**

“And you did?” _Addie_ asked, rolling her eyes.

 _Sirius_ grinned at her. “I did _better_. Mind you, Lily never cried in mourning. Not after what happened to you.”

“What?” Lily frowned. “Surely that’s a _good_ time to cry.”  
“I think Mandy snapped first.” _Sirius_ remembered. “After Jen … disappeared, and Lily was making us all a cup of tea, Mandy asked her why the hell she wasn’t crying when her best friend was probably d-dead. And Lily told her that crying wouldn’t bring Jen back and it wouldn’t stop Voldemort. “I will cry when that son-of-a-bitch is rotting in hell and not a moment sooner”.”

Lily smiled slightly. “Sounds like a good attitude.”

“But fear got to her more than once.” _Sirius_ added.

**“Must be where Harry gets it from.”**

“I’m not that bad with crying girls.” Harry protested.

Hermione and Ginny pretended they didn’t hear him.

**Hermione joked, before being distracted by a low hiss as the saucepan boiled over. She grabbed a tea-towel and removed the pot from the heat, before pouring the contents on to a plate and placing it in front of him with a fork. “Eat. You look half-starved.”**

“Thank you, Mrs Weasley.” _Sirius_ joked, dodging a cushion.

**“I _am_ half-starved.” Sirius pointed out. “You didn’t have to …”  
Hermione gave him a look eerily reminiscent of Professor McGonagall …**

Hermione blushed. “Was it really?”

“It was like I was back in detention.” _Sirius_ informed her.

**… and he dropped his protest, thanking her quietly.**

**“Now,” Hermione continued matter-of-factly, “what can I do about getting you a wand?**

David raised an eyebrow. “You do realise that would be arming a convicted felon, which is against the law?”

“I’m aware that I was breaking the law, yes.” Hermione said calmly. “Of course, he isn’t _technically_ a convicted felon. But we’d already broken 11 wizarding laws to stop them from sucking his soul out; I figured one more wouldn’t make that much of a difference.”

**Yours would have been snapped when you were arrested, wouldn’t it?”**

**“Actually, it wasn’t.” Sirius answered cautiously. “The Blacks are an Ancient and Noble pureblood family – they can’t snap my wand without the permission of my Head of House.”**

Jen began to laugh. “Oh, this is fantastic.”

“What?” Lily asked, but Jen didn’t answer.

**Hermione frowned. “But … didn’t you just say you were unofficially disowned?”**

**Sirius chuckled. “Yeah, but I was arrested after my father died and my brother was killed. That means they can’t snap my wand without _my_ permission.”**

Lily rolled her eyes. “That’s just … Wow.”

**He smiled lightly at her stunned expression. “I know. They’re crazy, our laws. My wand’s in my vault.”**

**“Anyway I can get into it?” Hermione asked.**

**“No.” Sirius said.**

“Yes, she can.” Jen disagreed. “They’ll let anyone in anywhere as long as they’ve got a key.”

**“Well, technically, yes, but you’re not going to.**

“Oh, that makes more sense.” Jen nodded.

**You’ve done enough, Hermione.”**

**“I’ve done what’s _right_.” Hermione corrected. “And besides, what the Ministry doesn’t know can’t hurt them. Or, more importantly, me.”**

“That’s true.” Alice conceded. “And goblins hate dealing with the Ministry, so as long as you’re respectful, they should keep their mouths shut.”

**Sirius observed her for a few seconds, before chuckling. “Well played.”**

“She smiled, didn’t she?” Fred asked knowingly.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Hermione frowned.

“There’s a certain smile you have that Sirius can’t say no to.” Fred explained with a smirk. “Kinda like when Ginny bats her eyes and goes “Daddy …””

Hermione chuckled. “I’ll have to remember that one.”

“Aren’t you worried?” _Addie_ asked softly.

 _Sirius_ shook his head. “She won’t use it that often.” He murmured back, not denying the truth of Fred’s words. “And at least she’s smiling again.”

**He pulled a small golden key out of his robes. “But what do you know about Gringotts vaults?”**

**Hermione hesitated. “Erm … only what Harry’s told me. I know quite a bit about goblins.”**

**“If you’re talking about History of Magic, you know quite a bit about goblin _rebellions_.” Sirius corrected. “And that does nothing for goblin-human relationships, believe me. There are three types of pureblood families, Hermione.”**

Sirius groaned. “You’re not really going to go through all that, are you?”

“With the protections that could be on that vault?” _Sirius_ responded. “Wasn’t taking any chances.”

**Hermione nodded. “Ancient, Noble and Ancient and Noble. I know that much.”**

**“Exactly.” Sirius confirmed. “You can be considered pureblood without being in one of those families, but generally, they fit into one of those categories.”**

**“Surely a pureblood is anyone with magical parents.” Hermione frowned.**

Hermione chuckled. “Ah naivety.”

**“If Muggle-borns are people like me with two Muggle parents and half-bloods are people like Seamus Finnegan with one magical parents and one Muggle parent …”**

**“Normally you’d be right,” Sirius agreed, “but you have to remember the people who think in terms of blood. For example, what is Harry?”**

“Half-blood.” Harry answered dully.

**“Pureblood.” Hermione guessed. “Because his parents were both …” She trailed off. “But his mother was Muggle-born … and to the people who _care_ about that sort of thing …”**

**“You’ve got it.” Sirius nodded. “If your parents are both Muggle-born, you’re considered Muggle-born. To be considered a pureblood, you have to have at _least_ three generations.”**

Lily groaned, rubbing her head. “That’s not helpful.”

**Hermione grimaced. “And no one finds this confusing?”**

**Sirius chuckled. “If it helps, I hate it.**

“It would if you could _do_ something about it.” Jen said.

**Anyway … the more ‘important’ the family, the better protected the vaults, which was my point to begin with. If you were entering the Potter vault – that’s another Ancient and Noble family – I wouldn’t be too worried, but …”  
“But surely the wands will be in your personal vault.” Hermione pointed out. “That won’t have the same protections as the family vault … will it?”**

**“It shouldn’t.” Sirius agreed slowly. “But I did inherit that vault from my Uncle Alpherd. He wasn’t as big on blood purity, but I still don’t know what enchantments are on it.**

“Oh.” Sirius muttered. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

**You might not be able to enter it.”  
“Well, it can’t hurt to try.” Hermione said sensibly. “And from what I’ve read, the goblins will let you in anywhere as long as you have the right key.”**

**“That’s the other thing.” Sirius said grimly. “Gringotts keys cannot be taken from a person without their consent.**

Lily inhaled sharply. “You’re taking a big risk, Hermione.”

Hermione smiled. “Marauder.”

**That’s why I still have mine. The only way you could have this key in your possession is if I give you explicit consent to enter the vault. That puts you in direct contact with me, Hermione; it’s too risky.”**

**Hermione shrugged. “Only if the Ministry finds out. And from what I’ve heard, the goblins hate the Ministry.**

“That is true.” Jen conceded.

**Or is that another misconception?”**

**“No, that one’s true.” Sirius sighed. “Fine, but I want you to _promise_ me that you’ll be careful.”**

**Hermione nodded. “I promise.”**

**Gringotts Bank was very easily the most impressive building in Diagon Alley …**

“Yeah, it is.” James agreed.

**… a towering building of white marble that dwarfed the shops surrounding it.**

**Upon entering the bank, Hermione had changed some Muggle money into sickles and galleons, before requesting a private room and a meeting with a teller upon their earliest convenience.**

**Her mother had dropped her off at the Leaky Cauldron that morning, under the impression that Hermione was just looking to get Harry a birthday present.**

“And I did.” Hermione smiled.

“A good one.” Harry added with a grin.

**But now she was sitting in one of the small rooms off of the main Gringotts lobby, her heart constricting her throat.**

“I was so nervous.” Hermione admitted.

**For the last two days, Sirius had been living in the woodland behind her back garden and teaching her about goblins and their customs. She had learned more than Professor Binns could ever teach her – Sirius had made the stories exciting and interesting, something their professor had never managed.**

_Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “Don’t say it.”  
“Maybe you could teach when we get your name cleared.” _Addie_ teased.

“I will teach, when you’re the headmistress of Hogwarts.” _Sirius_ said flatly.

 _Addie_ rolled her eyes. “Oh, like that’ll ever happen.”

“Exactly.” _Sirius_ smirked.

**After what seemed like an age, one of the goblins entered the room and Hermione rose to her feet to curtsey.**

“Good start.” Jen murmured, grasping Remus’s hand.

**She knew she had surprised her mother by donning a skirt for the day – she was much comfier in jeans – but it allowed far better movement. “Greetings. May your mines be forever full and your sword forever sharp.”**

“Very good start.” Narcissa said.

**Her Gobbledegook was shaky and she had only learnt that one phrase, but it sounded right, from what Sirius had taught her.**

**The goblin looked surprised, but bowed in acknowledgement …**

“You’re safe.” Regulus stated.

**… before taking the other seat and gesturing for her to sit. “Greetings, Miss Granger. My name is Griphook.”**

Harry raised an eyebrow. “That’s the same goblin who took me to my vault the first time I visited.”  
“I know.” Hermione said simply. “Weird, isn’t it?”

**Thankfully, he continued the conversation in English, apparently noting her slight hesitance. “I must admit myself impressed, Miss Granger. Very few wizards and witches bother to learn our language, especially so young.”  
Hermione blushed slightly. “My curiosity is hard to sate, sir.”**

**Griphook nodded. “What can the Bank of Gringotts do for you today? You do not possess a vault of your own.”**

**“No.” Hermione admitted, taking a deep breath. “I wish to visit Vault 711.”**

“Wouldn’t the wand have been put in the family vault?” Narcissa asked.

 _Sirius_ shook his head. “It’s my personal vault. After Reg …” he trailed off and cleared his throat. “I didn’t particularly want to step foot inside that place, so I got Gringotts to move everything I’d need into my vault and to make any future deposits into that vault.”

**Griphook observed her for a few seconds, saying nothing, and she fought not to squirm under his gaze.**

**_“Just keep calm, keep eye contact and don’t fidget. Goblins pick up on subtle body language far more than humans do. You have every right to be there, so don’t let him think any differently.”_ **

“Good advice.” David nodded.

**After a few moments, Griphook spoke again. “You have the key, I presume?”**

**Hermione nodded, handing it over, reminding herself to thank Sirius for the advice.**

**Silently, Griphook held it up to the light, turning it over in his long fingers. “Not a forgery. You realise that by doing this you are admitting to contact with a convicted criminal.”**

**Hermione took a shaky breath. “Yes, sir, I do.”  
“And yet you are still willing to aid him in this way?” Griphook prompted.**

**Hermione nodded firmly. “I am.”**

“Wise move.” David muttered.

**Griphook gave her a fierce look that, thanks to Sirius, she recognised as a smile. “If there is one thing goblins value more than honesty, Miss Granger, it is bravery. And if there is one thing we value more than bravery, it is loyalty. The Bank of Gringotts has no link of the Ministry of Magic and we hold _all_ transactions in the upmost confidentiality. Follow me.”**

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and _Sirius_ chuckled, waving his wand. “Hello? You know it goes well.” **  
Breathing a sigh of relief, Hermione followed the goblin through a set of double doors into and into a dark stone passageway, lit by flaming torches. A small cart came rattling along a set of railway tracks and stopped beside them.**

**Hermione shuddered inwardly, having heard about these cart-rides from Harry – she’d never liked rollercoasters.**

“Me neither.” Lily agreed. “But they’re not that bad.”

**Nevertheless she climbed into the cart and took a deep breath as it took off, but to her surprise, she actually enjoyed the ride.**

**Griphook must have read her expression, because he said, “These carts have a goblin anti-nausea charm on them.”**

“I’m surprised he told you that.” Regulus commented. “Usually, goblins try to make wizards and witches as uncomfortable as possible. He must like you.”  
“Why did the ride affect Hagrid then?” Lily questioned.

“Half-giant.” Remus shrugged. “Most spells don’t work on him.”

**“Thank Merlin.” Hermione muttered as the cart came to a halt outside one of the vaults. A loud clacking sound was coming from around the corner, but she didn’t ask – Sirius had mentioned a dragon guarding the Black vaults and how the goblins used ‘clackers’ to keep them under control, although she hadn’t completely believed him until this moment.**

_Sirius_ looked slightly put out. “Thanks.”  
“Hey, it sounded unbelievable.” Hermione pointed out.

**Griphook unlocked the vault door and turned to her, gesturing her forwards. She stepped over the threshold tentatively, feeling a soft tingling over her skin that she assumed was the wards. She froze, waitin for something to happen.**

**It didn’t …**

“Would that be because of my mother or because of the adoption?” Hermione asked curiously.

“Most likely both.” _Sirius_ answered. “Although I don’t know how it would work with the adoption. By blood, you’re related to me, but not to anyone else in the family, and it doesn’t change your blood status. So I don’t know how that fits in.”

“Of course it might just be that the wards know that you had permission to be there.” Jen pointed out.

**… so she allowed herself to relax, looking around the large vault. Most of it was filled with mounds of gold and silver, but across from her was a large storage box and, atop it, two familiar tubes of wood.**

“That’s why you’ve got mine.” Jen realised. “I guess that makes sense.”

**Hermione climbed over to it, being careful not to touch anything ( _“if anything else has been moved from the other vaults, it’s been cursed and I don’t want you to get hurt”_ ), and picked them up, slipping them into her bag, unsure which was Sirius’s.**

**The wands had been lying on a photograph and Hermione picked that up as well. A much younger Sirius laughed up at her, baby Harry firmly in his arms. Lily Potter hovered in the background, trying to take Harry back, but the child just clung tighter to his godfather.**

Harry blushed as Ginny cooed, “I remember you showing us that.”

“Have you got it on you?” David asked.

 _Sirius_ nodded, pulling it from his pocket. “Showed it to this lot a few days ago.”

David chuckled at the image. “Harry, you look just like Jamie did when he was a baby.”

James pulled a face. “Dad!”

**Hermione chuckled affectionately and slipped the photograph into her bag as well, before leaving the vault to travel back to the surface.**

Harry pulled a face. “Why, Hermione? Why did you have to take it?”

“Because I thought Sirius might want to take it with him while he was on the run from the Ministry of Magic with no way of seeing his darling godson for a while.” Hermione answered in one breath, an innocent expression on her face.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Well played.”

**That evening, Hermione and Sirius were huddled in the wooded area behind her garden. It was strange to see a hippogriff rooting for worms in the same place she used to sit and do her Muggle homework.**

Lily chuckled. “I bet it was.”

**Dusk was falling, but her parents were working late and would not be home for another hour at least. Sirius cast a glance at the darkening sky. “We should get on our way; it’ll be dark soon.”  
“Hang on.” Hermione handed him a satchel. “I got this today in Diagon Alley; it’s got an undetectable extension charm on it. I filled it with enough food to last a while, mostly Muggle tins that won’t go off, but there’s some soup and stew in thermos flasks; I added runes to them at the beginning of the summer, so they should stay warm if I’ve done them right.**

“You had.” _Sirius_ told her.

“You’re amazing.” James told her reverently, making her blush.

**Don’t do anything stupid …**

“Don’t ask for miracles, Hermione.” Remus joked.

**… and stay in touch – I’ve put some parchment, quills and ink in there as well.”**

**“You’re a life-saver, Hermione.” Sirius told her sincerely, shouldering the bag with a grateful smile.**

**“Oh, and before I forget …” Hermione pulled the two wands out of her pocket. “I wasn’t sure which one was yours.”**

**Sirius took the darker wand, tapping it against her face with a murmured incantation, healing the bruise.**

“Won’t the Ministry pick that up?” Lily asked.

 _Sirius_ shook his head. “The Ministry can’t distinguish magical signatures, only that they’re there. Their records would be telling them that there were currently three magical signatures at Hermione’s house, two of which belonged to adults, and they’d assume the magic was coming from us.”

Lily scowled. “That’s not very fair.”

**“Thanks. I feel a lot better with a wand in my hand.”**

Sirius shuddered. “I can’t imagine being without it.”  
“It’s not fun.” _Sirius_ muttered. **  
“What should I do with this one?” Hermione asked.**

**Sirius’s eyes took on a haunted expression. “Keep it.**

“Good.” Jen stated firmly, seeing _Sirius_ look slightly guilty. “You never know when you might need a second wand.”

**You never know when you might need a second wand.”**

Hermione grimaced as everyone else laughed at the similarities between brother and sister. She had indeed needed that second wand … but she wished she hadn’t.

**Hermione wanted to ask who it had belonged to, but the sudden surge of grief she picked up as he looked at the wand made her decide against it …**

“It’s Jen’s, isn’t it?” Harry asked in an undertone.

Hermione nodded.

**… slipping the wand back into her pocket. “I found this photo as well. Thought you might like it.”  
“You thought right.” Sirius smiled reminiscently at the picture for a few seconds, before duplicating it and handing her back the copy. “Make sure Harry gets that?”**

“Thanks.” Harry smiled. “For all the pouting earlier, it was one I didn’t have.”

**“Of course.” Hermione slipped it away and patted Buckbeak’s feathery neck. “Be good, Beaky. Make sure Padfoot doesn’t do anything stupid, alright?”**

“Merlin help us.” Mandy sighed. “We’re relying on a hippogriff to be the responsible adult.” **  
Buckbeak tossed his head with a squawk and she took that as reassurance. She turned back to Sirius and he placed his hands on her shoulders.**

**“Hermione, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done this summer.” He told her in a low voice. “Just promise me one more thing.”**

**“What?” Hermione asked.**

**“Forget everything your father ever told you.”**

“Smartest thing you’ve ever said.” Arabella commented.

**Sirius stated, with an unidentifiable glint in his eye. “You’re an amazing young woman with a heart of gold and a mind that could give Lily Potter a run for her money.**

Lily blushed as James grinned at her. She did like hearing herself called that.

**And I can give you no higher praise than that.”**

Lily’s blush deepened. **  
Hermione blushed lightly. She knew enough about Harry’s mother to take it as a compliment of the highest order as well.**

And deepened.

“Lily, you look like a tomato.” Addie told her with a grin.

**“Thank you.”**

**“No. Thank you.” Sirius hugged her tightly. “I can never repay you for what you’ve done, but …” he released her and waved his wand in the direction of her house. “That should make the rest of your summer here a little more bearable.”**

Jen looked suspicious. “What did you do?”

**Hermione raised an eyebrow. “What did you do?”**

Jen chuckled. “Great minds think alike.”

**Sirius winked at her. “Never mess with a Marauder, my dear.**

“There’s an understatement.” Mandy muttered.

**Enjoy the World Cup and give Harry my love when you see him.” He jumped on Buckbeak’s back and urged him forwards.**

**The hippogriff unfurled his impressive wings and broke into a gallop, taking off into the air. Hermione watched them fly into the distance, until they were a tiny speck silhouetted against the moon.**

**Going … going … gone …**

“Now tell me you’re going abroad like a _sensible_ escaped felon.” _Addie_ said shrewdly.

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “Isn’t that an oxymoron? Yes, I went abroad. South America, to be exact.”

“Good.” _Addie_ marked the page. “That’s the end of the chapter. Who wants to read next?”


	4. Chapter Two - The Burrow

“I will.” Her younger counterpart answered, taking the book.

**Chapter Two**

**The Burrow**

Fred, Ginny and Harry cheered.

**It didn’t take long before Hermione realised what Sirius had done. Every time her father came within two feet of her, he was overcome by the inescapable need to vomit.**

“Oh dear.” Narcissa remarked with a smile. “How very unfortunate.”

**Thankfully, he had put this sudden illness down to food poisoning …**

“Food poisoning my arse.” Jen muttered, exchanging a high five with her brother.

**… although her mother had pulled her aside one morning and asked very seriously if she’d had anything to do with it.**

Hermione smiled brightly. “But Mummy … I’m not allowed to use magic outside school.”

**Hermione had rolled her eyes and reminded her that she wasn’t allowed to do magic out at school, so her mother had dropped the subject, not really upset about the turn of events.**

“I doubt she would be.” Mandy commented.

**The lack of Ministry owl had bothered Hermione for a while, but she soon forgot about it; she’d heard whispers of bias in the underage magic law …**

Lily snorted. “Biased. Understatement.”

**… and she could look it up when she arrived back at Hogwarts.**

“Or I would have, if they hadn’t removed the bloody books.” Hermione muttered.

**Hermione spent her last three days at home preparing to leave for good.** **All she could take to The Burrow without arousing suspicion was her school trunk, which was fine for clothes and school books, but that was it.**

**However, she had picked up another magically expanded satchel in Diagon Alley, which held everything else. She had also bought a book on empathy, hoping for some sort of explanation. The people at _Flourish and Blotts_ had seen her so often that no one batted an eyelid at her purchase.**

“Why are empaths considered dark?” Lily asked curiously.

“It says in a minute.” Addie said, scanning the next few lines.

**That, or it was because she also bought a set of DADA books at the same time as Harry’s birthday present.**

“They were amazing.” Harry grinned.

“Is DADA your favourite lesson then?” Lily asked eagerly.

Harry pulled a face. “It’s my favourite _subject_. Depends who’s teaching it.” He grinned at Remus. “And unfortunately, we only ever had one good teacher. But I’ve always been fascinated by it – I think it has something to do with who I am.”

“And you always wind up having to defend yourself against the Dark Arts.” Hermione finished.

**Unfortunately, and Hermione made sure to read it at least three times before admitting it, the information it offered was quite poor.**

Fred gasped loudly. “Say it isn’t so!”

Hermione rolled her eyes again and smacked him on the arm.

**In the mid-1800s, the Ministry of Magic had released a report that named empaths as Dark Creatures. Empaths at the time had tried to argue that there was a political agenda – after all, reading emotions also meant detecting lies …**

“Of course.” Jen scowled. “Merlin forbid the public get the truth, right?”

… **but it was to no avail and, with prejudice worse than that against werewolves …**

Remus raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Hermione nodded. “Some werewolves actually did what they were being accused of, whereas the information about empaths was completely false.

**… empaths went ‘underground’.**

**With that in mind, all the book could tell her was that she could sense other people’s emotions – which she already knew – and ‘see and communicate with living spirits’.**

“What does that mean?” Neville asked in bewilderment. He had taken her empathy remarkably well for someone who had been raised pureblood with all the prejudices. Then again, he had taken Remus’s lycanthropy remarkably well as well.

**The book went on to explain:**

**_Since no empaths have offered their services for study ..._ **

“Hmm, I wonder why.” Hermione mused.

“Couldn’t be because the prejudice against empaths is even _worse_ than the prejudice against werewolves, could it?” Ginny asked innocently.

Hearing the emphasis she put on the word, Jen glanced at Remus and grabbed his hand, finally vocalising the question she had been too afraid to ask. “How bad is it for werewolves?”

“Put it this way, if Sirius hadn’t broken out of Azkaban and Dumbledore didn’t have a _lot_ of swing, there’s no way Remus would have taught in third year.” Hermione answered grimly. “Some of the laws are just …” She shuddered.

“It’s better not to ask.” _Sirius_ advised. “You _really_ don’t want to know.”

**_… this is merely a theory. Theoretically, every magical human has a body, a soul and a spirit. In life, the soul and body are joined together and can survive without each other, but will no longer be alive. The existence of the spirit, however, is debated for the above reason. If true, the spirit can leave the body and travel elsewhere; this would be extremely rare, since the body and soul exist separately and, while they have an effect on the spirit’s behaviour, it is a one-way relationship._ **

“Why is there a spirit then?” Neville asked, sounding even more bewildered.

“The spirit is only present in magical beings.” Hermione explained, slipping into lecture-mode. “It’s the part of being that becomes a ghost if one chooses not to ‘go on’.”

**So, Hermione supposed, if her spirit went to Australia, she still wouldn’t know what was going on there. She couldn’t really see how this would affect her, so she put it out of her mind for the moment.**

**By Wednesday, her room was barren, but for her bed, wardrobe and desk. All that was left to empty was one of the desk drawers, which contained memorabilia from her childhood – certificates, old letters, Muggle school records.**

“I’ve got one of those.” Lily commented.

**Right at the back, however, Hermione found a badge that looked like a police shield, but the emblem was two crossed wands shooting sparks.**

David frowned. “That’s an auror shield.”

“I know.” Hermione said with a smile.

“Why do you have an auror badge?” Regulus asked.

Hermione shrugged. “No idea.”

**She sat on her bed and stared at it, trying to understand what it was and where it had come from. The shield was attached to a leather wallet and she flipped it open to find an ID card.**

**_Ministry of Magic Auror Division_ **

**_Sirius Orion Black_ **

**_July 1979 –_ **

“Mine?” _Sirius_ asked in bewilderment, running a hand through his hand. “Why on earth do you have that?”

“I don’t know.” Hermione shrugged. “Slipped my mind earlier – I was hoping you would.”

“Maybe you gave it to her.” _Addie_ suggested. “You don’t remember taking her home, right? Maybe you gave her your badge as a promise you’d come back. It sounds like something you’d do.”

“Maybe.” _Sirius_ agreed pensively. “But I still don’t understand why I don’t remember Hermione being there.”

**Hermione’s eyebrows rose into her hairline. She had known Sirius was an auror … but what was she doing with his badge?**

“Keeping it safe.” Harry answered matter-of-factly.

“Obviously.” Hermione added.

**Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing loud and shrill downstairs.**

“I’m surprised Dad knew how to use one.” Ginny commented.

“What’s a doorbell?” Draco asked.

“You press a button outside the house and it rings a bell inside to let the inhabitants know there’s someone outside.” Hermione explained. “Like knocking, but louder.”

**Hermione didn’t hurry, knowing that Arthur Weasley would relish the chance to play with the doorbell for a while …**

“He loved you for that.” Fred said fervently.

**… and slipped the badge into the satchel with everything else. Then she slipped the satchel into her trunk on top of her school robes and closed the lid, before scooping Crookshanks up as he threatened to slip out the door.**

**“Oh no you don’t, darling,” she cooed to the fluffy orange part-Kneazle. “I need you to come with me.”**

“He’s much calmer now.” Hermione commented. _Now there’s not a mass-murderer hiding in the boys’ dorms._

**Depositing Crookshanks into his carrier, she dragged her trunk out on to the hallway, left the note to her mother on her pillow …**

“Good.” Alice murmured. “She needs to know you’re not coming home.”

**… and shut the door firmly.**

**Hermione hurried down the stairs, placing the pet-carrier on the side table where the telephone resided, before opening the door.**

**Mr Weasley rang the doorbell once more, beaming at the now-louder sound. “Remarkable!” He said cheerfully.**

Ginny chuckled fondly. “Dad …”

**“It’s good to see you again, Hermione.”**

**“Hello, Mr Weasley. Thank you for letting me stay for the rest of the summer.”**

**“Oh, not at all!” Mr Weasley assured her. “Think nothing of it! Now by some amazing miracle, we’ve managed to get a car for today. I don’t know how we’ll get Harry though; we’ll never get a car that close to the match.**

“I’m glad they didn’t.” Harry snickered.  
Lily groaned. “Oh, what happened?”

“Nothing bad.” Harry assured her.

“I know it’s nothing bad, Harry.” Lily sighed. “But that’s the same look your father gets when he’s planning something.”

“And it wasn’t my fault.” Harry added.

**Are your parents here?”**

**“They’re at work.” Hermione said calmly, despite the pang of sadness in her chest.**

“You could have told them.” Arabella said.

**“We said our goodbyes this morning. I’ll just go and get my trunk.”**

**“Don’t worry.” Another voice said from behind Mr Weasley. “We’ll get it. Good to finally meet you, Hermione.”**

**Hermione didn’t need an introduction to know that this was one of Ron’s eldest brothers.**

“Didn’t need to be told which one either.” Hermione commented.

“Don’t tell me.” Fred closed his eyes, pressing his fingers to his forehead. “He had dragon-burns on his hands.”

“Yes.” Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you know anything about sci-fi?”

“What?” Fred asked blankly.

“Never mind.” Hermione said quickly. She really didn’t feel like explaining it right now.

**He was closer to the twins build, still tall, but stocky with it. His face was even more freckled than Ron’s and, when she shook his hand, she could feel numerous callouses. “You as well, Charlie, right?”**

**Charlie raised an eyebrow. “How’d you guess?”  
“Probably the burns.” Yet another unfamiliar voice teased. “You know Ron tells all and sundry what you do for a living.”**

**This had to be the eldest Weasley brother, Bill. But Hermione had to admit that he wasn’t a bit like she’d pictured him. Knowing that Bill had been Head Boy at Hogwarts, she had assumed that he was like Percy, but Bill was tall, like Ron, with long hair pulled back in a ponytail and an earring with what looked like a dragon fang dangling from it.**

“Cool.” Sirius remarked.

“I was expecting someone more boring.” Hermione commented.

“I was Head Boy!” James protested. “Or will be, I should say.”

“But so was Percy.” Harry pointed out. “And unfortunately, we know him better.”

“Good point.” James conceded.

**Then again, she realised as he shook her hand with a friendly greeting, she probably should have known better than to assume head students had to be as stuffy and overbearing as Percy was.**

“Thank you.” James nodded.

**After all, James Potter had been Head Boy _and_ he had been a Marauder.**

“First and foremost.” James grinned.

“Don’t we know it.” Lily muttered.

“Oh, like you’re any better.” James said, nudging her.

**And Lily Potter …**

Lily smiled to herself.

**… had been Head Girl, and she hadn’t exactly been an angel …**

Lily raised an eyebrow. “Where did that come from?”

Hermione shrugged. “I think it was around about then the memory charm started to lift. It wasn’t so much remembering as it was already knowing.”

“It may well have been the badge.” David told her. “If it acted as a key to unlock the memory charm, then the memories wouldn’t return all at once.”

**_Wait – where did that come from? I don’t think I really know anything about Mrs Potter …_ **

“About as much as I did.” Harry said softly.

**_… she was Head Girl … probably a prefect. Red hair, green eyes …_ **

“Beautiful eyes.” James whispered, making her blush.

**_… Gryffindor, Muggle-born … Good at Charms, I remember Harry saying … Very intelligent according to Sirius … But that’s all._ **

Lily sighed, sad that her son knew so little about her. “I used to paint when I was younger.”

James gave her an odd look. “That’s … nice?”

But Lily was looking at Harry. “If I hadn’t been a witch, I would have gone to an art school, even though my parents wanted me to do something academic, because I had the brains for it. When I got my Hogwarts letter, my dad fainted and my mum burst into tears. I got my prefects’ badge in my room just before I went to bed and spilt hot chocolate all over the floor because the owl made me jump. Until third year, I needed the girls’ help to get my robes on straight.”

“She had a pet cat for the first four years of Hogwarts, even though she really wanted an owl.” Jen chimed in, realising what Lily was doing. “Her Animagus form’s a doe and we call her Jade, because the only distinguishing marks she has are her eyes.”

“She can’t stand rats.” Addie continued with a smile. “So even though they were the cutest of the things the boys let loose in our dorm last Halloween, she refused to leave her bed until they’d all gone and made James carry her out even then.”

“In fourth year, the boys got detention for a prank, even though they’d signed it ‘Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs’ and no one knew they were the same people.” Mandy remembered. “While they were in detention, Lily pulled another prank and signed it with the same names to give them an alibi.”

“That wasn’t just me.” Lily pointed out with an easy smile. “That was Addie as well.”

Sirius gave the blonde beside him a reverent look. “That was you?”

Addie smirked at him. “You’re not the only prankster in the room, Padfoot. Didn’t we establish _that_ last February?”

“Yeah, but … wow …” Sirius looked slightly dazed.

 _Addie_ was watching the two of them in amusement, but was quickly distracted by _Sirius_ leaning in to whisper, “I knew there was a reason I was crazy about you.”

“That was you?” Sirius asked, unable to find anything else to say.

Addie nodded. “Yes.”

Sirius stared at her for a few more minutes. “… That was you?”

Jen sniggered. “Addie, I think you broke him.”

Addie rolled her eyes and smacked him upside the head. “Snap out of it!” She picked up the book and found her place again.

 ** _Where did I get the idea that she caused trouble at school?  
_** “Us probably.” _Sirius_ smirked. “We never did let Lily keep up her image.”

**“Hermione?” Bill prompted. “Where’s your trunk?”**

**“Hmm?” Hermione shook herself from her thoughts. “Oh, sorry. It’s at the top of the stairs. I was just mentally running through everything I’d packed to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything.”**

**“Organised.” Bill commented. “Ron must drive you crazy.”**

Hermione snorted. “There’s an understatement.”  
“Why do you put up with him then?” Fred asked blankly.

Hermione sighed. “Because, much like you and George, I love him too much to give up on him. And Harry’s my best friend and I love _him_ too much to let Ron being a prat push me away.”

**“Not really.” Hermione shrugged.**

Fred raised an eyebrow in question.

“Ron’s his brother.” Hermione pointed out.

“Ron’s _my_ brother.” Fred responded.

“Yeah, but I know you. Bill and Charlie were unknowns at the time.” Hermione turned back to Addie, clearly putting an end to the conversation.

**“I like a challenge.”**

**“Gryffindor.” The two Weasley boys concluded in unison.**

**“And this must be Crookshanks.” Charlie added, bending down to see into the basket. “Did he really eat Scabbers?”**

James’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing.

**Hermione rolled her eyes, somehow hiding the anger she felt towards Wormtail. “Is he still on about that?”**

**Bill sniggered. “Been moaning about it for the last few weeks.”**

Remus raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

**Hermione couldn’t help feeling surprised. Ron wasn’t usually one for tact and she knew that he had taken the news about Scabbers very personally. That he had explained away his absence to his brothers without letting that shine through was quite impressive.**

“Why didn’t you tell them the truth?” Sirius asked curiously.

“No one believed us.” Harry answered. “Besides, what good would it have done? Mr and Mrs Weasley couldn’t do anything.”

“And Ron didn’t want to get into trouble.” Hermione added. “I think that had something to do with it.”

**“Well, I don’t know what happened to Scabbers, but Crookshanks hadn’t left my dorm all day. He was sick, weren’t you, Crookshanks?”**

**Despite his irritation at being confined, Crookshanks let out a purr, nuzzling his mistress through the bars.**

**“Smart cat.” Charlie remarked, as Bill levitated the trunk down the stairs. “Might be half-kneazle.”**

“He is.” Sirius confirmed.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “We’ve established that by now, I think.”

**“I think he is.” Hermione agreed, picking up the basket.**

**“You’ll have to carry it the rest of the way, boys.” Mr Weasley told them.**

Jen chuckled. “I should hope they’ve got the hang of the Statute of Secrecy by now.”

**Charlie rolled his eyes. “Muggle neighbourhood. We know, Dad.” He took one end of the trunk, Bill took the other, and they carried it out to the waiting car.**

**Hermione followed Mr Weasley out the front door, pausing only to lock it, leaving her childhood home for what would – hopefully – be the last time.**

“Will be if I have anything to say about it.” _Sirius_ muttered.

“I’m not going back there if I can help it.” Hermione assured him.

**Hermione had never been to the Burrow before …**

“Oh of course you hadn’t.” Fred murmured. “I’d forgotten about that.”

**… electing to meet the Weasleys in Diagon Alley instead, but Harry absolutely loved the place …**

“I do.” Harry agreed happily.

**… and it turned out to be exactly how she’d imagined it – a house that looked like it had stepped right out of one of her childhood story books, with chickens pecking around the yard and so many pieces jutting out that it appeared to be held up with magic. Hermione couldn’t help but feel, however, that this brand of magic was that of love and family, rather than Charms and Transfiguration.**

Ginny smiled. “I much prefer your description than Harry’s.”

“Harry’s wasn’t bad.” Hermione argued.

“No, it wasn’t.” Ginny agreed. “I just prefer yours.”

**Ginny met her at the door with a tight hug. “Hermione, it’s so good to see you! Here, let’s get him out.” She undid the latches and gently lifted Crookshanks from the basket Hermione was carrying. Once freed, the grumpy-looking cat …**

“Hey!” Hermione protested. “Crookshanks is not grumpy-looking.”

**… settled down in Ginny’s arms, purring contentedly.**

**“Hey Mione!”**

**Hermione rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue the nickname, as Ron came running into the kitchen, his hair smoking slightly.**

“What did you do?” Jen asked Fred.

“What makes you think we did anything?” Fred asked innocently.

“I know these three.” Jen pointed at the Marauders.

Fred shrugged, dropping the pretence. “Don’t remember.”

**“Twins.” He explained briefly, gesturing to the singed areas.**

**“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Hermione sighed, hugging him in greeting. She had barely let go, when two other set of arms encircled her, almost lifting her off the ground.**

**“Mya!” Two voices chorused.**

“And the damn nickname appears.” Hermione grumbled good-naturedly.

**“Why do you call me that?” Hermione asked, unable to hold back a giggle. “And put me down!”**

**Fred and George set her down and gave her identical grins.**

**“Well, Hermione …” Fred began.**

**“… is too long to say …” George continued.**

**“… so we decided …” Fred explained.**

**“… to call you Mya.” George finished.**

**“That’s alright, isn’t it?” They asked in unison.**

Addie raised an eyebrow. “Do they always talk like that?”

Hermione nodded with a weary sigh. “It drives me crazy.”

**Hermione gave herself a moment to connect the snippets into one sentence and nodded. “If you must. Do you have to talk like that? I feel like I’ve been watching a tennis match.”**

“What’s a tennis match?” James asked curiously.

“It’s a Muggle sport.” Harry answered. “Difficult to explain. Two people have a racquet each and use them to hit a small bouncy ball to each other across a net. The ball can bounce once on the other side of the net, but more than that and the person that missed it loses. It’s more complicated than that, but …”

“The rules are hard to understand unless you play.” Hermione finished.

**“It’s a twin thing.” George told her.**

**“What’s a tennis match?” Fred asked.**

**Hermione shook her head. “Never mind. It’s too complicated to explain.” She was swiftly pulled away by Mrs Weasley, who hugged her tightly before holding her at arm’s length.**

**“Hermione, how wonderful to see you again!” Mrs Weasley paused. “You’re very thin, dear.”**

“You see, to most women that’s a compliment.” Mandy laughed.

“No, Mum always says that as a bad thing.” Ginny grinned. “It’s just who she is.”

**“According to you, Mum …” Fred began.**

**“… everyone is thin.” George finished.**

**Hermione bit back a laugh at their antics, knowing there was no point in arguing with the Weasley matriarch, despite the fact that she knew she was a healthy weight for her age. “Well, we sent a lot of food to Harry.”**

“Ah, well played.” Fred smirked.

**There may well have been a better way of redirecting Molly Weasley’s attention, but it had yet to be found. Sure enough, Mrs Weasley’s demeanour changed immediately.**

“Of course it did.” Fred snickered. “No matter how thin Hermione is, she’ll never be in as much need as ickle Harrikins.” He picked Harry’s cheek and the raven-haired boy swatted his hand away.

“Never do that again.” Harry growled.

**“Oh the poor boy! I don’t know why Professor Dumbledore insists on sending him to those _people_!”**

_Sirius_ raised an eyebrow. “She’s questioning him? She’s spent the entire summer telling me that Dumbledore’s word is law and we need to wait until he says we can bring Harry to us.”  
“She’s mad at Dumbledore for leaving Harry there, yes.” Ginny said flatly. “But she disapproves of you more.”

**Hermione was slightly startled at the venom in her voice. She had always assumed that Mrs Weasley believed that everything Dumbledore said was the word of Merlin.**

_Sirius_ nodded in agreement.

**After all, last year, she had been very much in agreement that Harry shouldn’t be told that Sirius Black was supposedly trying to kill him.**

**Of course, to be fair, that was more because Mrs Weasley felt that Harry ‘didn’t need to know’ …**

Harry rolled his eyes. “At this rate, _that’s_ what’s going to kill me – people withholding information I ‘don’t need to know’.”

**… than because Dumbledore told them not to tell him.**

**_Or was that the Ministry’s decision?_ **

“I think it was both.” Harry told her.

**At one time, Hermione too would have taken Dumbledore or the Ministry’s word as law, but after the chaos of last year, she wasn’t so sure. Dumbledore knew everything that happened at Hogwarts, or so it seemed, and yet he still didn’t see fit to warn Harry about the ‘mass-murderer’ trying to kill him.  
She had seen how reckless Harry had acted …**

“Hey!” Harry protested. “I’m not reckless!”

Hermione patted his knee. “Of course you’re not. You’re a Gryffindor.”

“Which is more or less the same thing.” Regulus put in with a smirk.

**… last year – and he _had_ known. She dreaded to think how bad he would have been if he hadn’t.**

**Realising that Mrs Weasley was still talking, she tuned back in hastily.**

“You didn’t miss much.” Fred told her. “Just Mum deploring over how Harry’s wasting away.”

**“Ginny and I were going to make a couple of birthday cakes for him …**

Lily beamed at them. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Ginny and Hermione chorused.

**… would you like to help?”**

Harry nudged her with a grin. “Good job you started listening again.”

**_Just in time_ ** **. “Of course.” Hermione said with a smile. “Wouldn’t miss it.” She glanced around, noticing that there was one face missing. “Where’s Percy?”**

**“In his room.” Ron told her.**

“That’s a bit rude, isn’t it?” James asked with a frown. “He should at least have come downstairs to say hello.”

“That’s Percy.” Fred muttered with a scowl. Ginny elbowed him lightly, seeing Hermione’s glance.

**“Speaking of, we’ll show you yours.”**

**“You’ll have to share with me, I’m afraid.” Ginny added, as they led her up the rickety staircase that zig-zagged through the house. “We haven’t got much room. Bill and Charlie are sharing with the twins …**

“Brave of them.” Remus commented, being well-versed in the dangers of living with two pranksters.

“Nah, we got it from somewhere.” Fred grinned. “And not just Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon either.”

**… and Harry will be sharing with Ron when he gets here. Percy gets to keep his room, because he’s got to work.”**

“Oh, I wonder what he’s doing.” Lily said, sounding interested.

“Probably something really boring.” James answered.

“James!” Lily scolded.

“No, he’s right.” Fred grimaced. “It was excruciatingly boring.”

**Hermione couldn’t help but notice the light blush that spread over Ginny’s face at Harry’s name …**

“Thanks, Hermione.” Ginny muttered, turning pink.

Harry nudged her with his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Sis.”

**… but hoped that she’d get over it soon. Harry saw the Weasleys as siblings and would never see her as anything more than a sister.**

“That’s because she _is_ my sister.” Harry stated.

“And he’s my brother.” Ginny added firmly. “And that’s all I want.”

**And Hermione was sure – despite having no frame of reference – that your sister having a crush of you tended to put a strain on your relationship.**

Sirius snorted. “Just a bit I’m sure.”

**“What does Percy do then?” Hermione asked, as they approached the second landing. “I don’t think you mentioned it.”**

**“He only got the job a few days ago.” Ron explained. “He’s a junior in the Department of International Magical Co-Operation.”**

“That’s pretty good.” David commented, impressed. “Especially for someone only just out of Hogwarts.”

**“But he’s a tad obsessed.” Ginny warned. “So keep your voice down.”**

**At that moment, a door just ahead of them opened and a head popped out. “Would you keep your voices…Oh, hello, Hermione.” Percy was always polite to Hermione, probably because she was the only one who pretended to be interested during his lectures.**

“Thank Merlin!” Fred sighed. “I thought you actually _were_ interested.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Maybe in first year, but no. I’m just polite.”

**“Hello, Percy.” Hermione replied. “Congratulations on your new job.”**

**“Thank you.” Percy puffed up importantly. “At least _someone_ has their priorities straight.” He shot a nasty look at his younger siblings and disappeared behind his door again.**

“Weren’t you supportive?” David asked.

“We were.” Ginny insisted. “We all congratulated him when he got the job. He just didn’t understand that there’s only so much of Crouch-worship that we can take.”

“Barty Crouch?” David asked. “He’s the Head of DIMC? Why didn’t he get the Minister’s job?”

Hermione vaguely remember him asking the same thing two books ago, but no one had answered. “Well … it’s explained in this book.”

**“Mental, that one.” Ron muttered under his breath, leading the way up the next flight of stairs to Ginny’s room. “Ladies, your humble abode. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go and play Quidditch with the others.”**

**Hermione moved aside to let him pass, rolling her eyes in the process, and followed Ginny into her room. “Charming! Do they _ever_ ask you to play?”**

“No.” Ginny scowled, crossing her arms.

“Ginny, you can’t fly.” Fred reminded her.

“Oh, yes, I can.” Ginny argued. “I’ve been sneaking out to borrow your brooms since I was six years old.”  
Fred just gaped at her and Hermione and Ginny exchanged a high-five over Harry’s head.

**“Never.” Ginny sighed, gesturing to one of the beds. “That one’s yours.”**

**The room was quite small, just big enough to allow the two girls movement around the two beds, but it was comfortably so and still bigger than Hermione had expected, given the size of The Burrow and the placing of the door.**

“Magic.” Ginny smirked.

Hermione blushed lightly. “Oh, shut up.”

**The walls were painted a pretty pale yellow colour, and the soft green bedclothes gave the room the image of spring-time, which was amplified by the jar of wild flowers on the window sill.**

“That sounds pretty.” Lily remarked.

**The beds themselves were identical, but one (the one Ginny hadn’t pointed at) had a trunk at the foot and a worn hand-knitted stuffed rabbit sat on the pillow.**

Now it was Ginny’s turn to blush. “Mum made it for me.” She muttered.

“I still have a dragon my mother gave me when I was born.” Draco whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.

Ginny was slightly startled, but smiled gratefully all the same.

**“What do you think?” Ginny asked, a slight trace of nervousness in her voice.**

**“I think it’s really pretty.” Hermione answered, almost wistfully. Her bedroom at her parents’ house had always been plain white, with smart mahogany furniture – hardly interesting for a young girl.**

“Mine was pink until I was five.” Lily remembered. “Then I asked for mint green instead. Petunia kept hers pink forever though.”

“Hermione’s room at my flat was pink as well.” _Sirius_ added.

“She had her own room?” _Addie_ asked quietly.

“When I realise how much time she was going to spend there – I couldn’t let her sleep on the sofa.” _Sirius_ pointed out, glancing at her. “You look like you want to hug me later.”

 _Addie_ leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Not just hug you.” She murmured.

Feeling slightly awkward, Addie cleared her throat loudly and continued.

**It took Hermione a few minutes to realise that she had referred to it as ‘her parents’ house’ and not ‘home’.**

“That’s because it wasn’t home.” Harry said. “Bit like me and Privet Drive.”

**Ginny smiled brightly. “We’ll get your trunk brought up and it’ll fit under your bed.”**

**“I’m ahead of you, Gin.” Charlie floated the trunk in and landed it in the middle of the room. “Do you two want to play with us?”**

“You think Charlie heard you or was he just being polite?” Jen asked curiously.

Ginny shrugged. “Knowing Charlie, it could’ve been either.”

**Hermione grimaced slightly. The last time she’d been in the air was on the back of a hippogriff and she wasn’t too excited about getting up there again.**

**“Normally, I’d say yes.” Ginny answered. “But Hermione’s scared of heights.”**

**“I am not scared of heights.” Hermione protested.**

Harry ‘coughed’ loudly. “Liar.”

**“I’m just not particularly fond of them. Besides, you can go, I don’t mind.”**

**“I know.” Ginny said. “But I need a girl talk.”**

**Charlie blanched slightly. “Right. I’ll leave you to it then.” He practically fled down the stairs.**

The girls sniggered.

“Wait.” James frowned. “Does that mean, when you say that, you don’t always need a girl talk?”

“Uh huh.” Lily smirked. “But do you want to take that risk?”

James greyed slightly. “Er, no. Not really.”

**Hermione giggled. “Works every time, that.”**

**Ginny nodded in agreement. “I don’t often use that excuse, but it’s the only way I can get any privacy with six brothers. Did you bring that book you said I could borrow? The Lion and … something?”**

**“ _The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe_.” Hermione remembered.**

“Oh, I love that book!” Lily sighed.

“It’s really good.” Ginny agreed. “It’s the first Muggle book I ever read.”

“What’s it about?” Regulus asked, curious despite himself.

“It’s about four children who are evacuated to a huge manor house during the war.” Hermione explained. “While they’re there, they find a magical land called Narnia, hidden inside an old wardrobe. Narnia is in the grips of an eternal winter, thanks to the ‘White Witch’, but the creatures who live there believe the four children are ones spoken of in an old prophecy who will save Narnia and bring it back to its former glory.”

The book in question appeared on the coffee table in front of them.

“I might take a look at that at lunch time.” Narcissa commented. “It sounds interesting.”

**“Yeah, hang on.” She opened her trunk and dug through her books. “Not in here. Hang on.” She opened her satchel and dug around in it. “Well, that’s the weirdest thing I ever saw; I’m sure it’s in here somewhere.” She stuck her head right in …**

Lily sniggered. “Mary Poppins.”

Hermione chuckled. “It was a bit like that.”

“Who’s Mary Poppins?” Remus asked in bewilderment.

Lily took this one. “Mary Poppins is another Muggle story about a nanny for two children in 1910 London. She’s not a witch as _we’d_ describe her, but she uses magic to tidy the nursery and takes them into paintings and so on. She has a carpet bag that holds loads of things, just like that.”

**… and finally extracted it. “Ah, here it is.”**

**Ginny stared at her. “What on earth is in that bag?”**

**“Everything but the kitchen sink.” Hermione replied jokingly, handing her the book.**

“Muggle phrase.” Lily said quickly, fielding any questions. “No idea where it comes from.”

“Muggle World War II.” Hermione said automatically. “When the houses were bombed and families used to have to evacuate, they used to pack up everything to take with them, because anything left behind would have been looted. The only things left were the kitchen sinks, because they were bolted to the wall.”

**“Thanks. Seriously, what is in that bag?” Ginny repeated. “Are you planning on moving in or something?”**

**Hermione shrugged. “Not really. I just…can’t go home next summer, that’s all.”**

“I’m glad you told me.” Ginny said softly, squeezing her hand.

**“Why not?” Ginny pressed gently.**

**Hermione took a deep breath, closed her eyes and began to talk, slowly admitting everything about her home life and her father. At one point, she started crying and the younger witch moved off her bed to sit beside her, rubbing her back soothingly. When she’d finished, they sat in silence for a few minutes, Hermione assumed while Ginny took in what she’d said.**

“I _needed_ to take it in.” Ginny smiled weakly.

**Finally, after what seemed like hours, Ginny spoke, her voice low and shaking with anger. “First of all, you’re not going back even if I have to hide you in my trunk and smuggle you back here. Second of all, what were you thinking letting Sirius Black into your house?”**

Hermione shook her head. “Note to self: watch what you say.”

**Hermione froze. “Pardon?!” Terror and concern was rising around her, tainted with a bit of anger …**

“Gotta love empathy.” Hermione commented.

**… and she realised too late that her method of coping with her past, of shutting off all conscious thought while she talked, had led to more than she had anticipated being revealed.**

Hermione groaned, rubbing her head. “I really need to stop doing that.”

“Ginny will hear you out.” _Addie_ said softly.

**Her heart thudding, she grasped Ginny’s arm. “Ginny, I need you to hear me out and not tell anyone, understand?!”  
Ginny fought off her arm and closed her bedroom door, fixing Hermione with a stern look she had inherited from her mother. “Explain. Now.”**

“I knew you never did anything without good reason.” Ginny said.

**“Harry’s going to kill me.” Hermione muttered, before launching into the story of the Marauders, four boys who had become brothers and who were ripped apart by the terror of war.**

There was a silence in the room and James, Sirius and Remus looked down.

“Bloody hell, Hermione, you’ve sure got a way of bringing the mood down.” Harry joked weakly.

“Like you don’t.” Hermione shot back. “And Ginny’s no better.”

**By the time she’d finished, Ginny was almost in tears herself. “Poor Professor Lupin.”**

Ginny flinched. “I’d forgotten about that.”

**Hermione had to admit that she hadn’t thought about it from that angle; her thoughts had lain firmly with Sirius – and with Mr and Mrs Potter when the shock had worn off – and she was ashamed to admit she’d never even thought about how the whole debacle had affected the other remaining Marauder.**

**“It can’t have been easy for him.” Ginny continued softly. “Werewolves have it hard enough without losing his entire family and then to find out that he didn’t have to be alone for the last thirteen years …”**

Remus tried to hold back a shudder, feeling Jen curl into him. He couldn’t imagine life without her – without any of them, for that matter.

“He wasn’t alone.” Arabella said quietly. “He had us.”

**“At least he had Mandy and Arabella.” Hermione commented softly, falling easily into the way Harry had addressed them outside of class.**

The two girls nodded with smiles.

**“You won’t tell anyone, will you?”  
“Not a soul.” Ginny assured her. “I promise. Are you going to talk to my parents about your parents?”**

**Hermione sighed. “Only if I need to. I don’t want to put them out or anything; you know, make them feel like they have to have me next summer.”**

“They won’t.” Fred said softly. “Yeah, they’ll offer, but that won’t be why.”

“I knew that.” Hermione sighed.

**Logically, she knew that wouldn’t be the case, but that was how it would feel, she knew, if Mrs Weasley immediately extended an invitation.**

Jen nodded in agreement. “I can understand that.”

“Me too.” Harry added.

**Ginny looked like she wanted to argue, but she just smiled comfortingly and jumped to her feet. “Come on; let’s go and help Mum make birthday cakes.”**

**Hermione smiled as well, relieved that Ginny wasn’t going to push the subject. “Good idea. Baking always makes me feel better; it’s therapeutic. Only if you do it the Muggle way though.”**

**“Oh, Mum always makes birthday cakes the Muggle way.” Ginny told her. “She says it adds more love to them.”**

“It does.” Lily smiled. “What were my cakes like?” She asked _Sirius_.

 _Sirius_ smiled. “Lily, everything you cooked was outstanding. It’s just that your chocolate chip cookies were heaven on a plate.”

“That’s an interesting description.” _Addie_ teased. “You and your food.”

Harry perked up and looked at the ceiling. “Any chance you can send some back?”

A note appeared in his lap and he read it aloud. “ _“_ We can. However, these were baked by someone else, not Lily, using the same recipe, so you’ll have to judge and tell me – I mean, us – how they are.””

“Your handwriting, Mione.” Harry told her, as a plate of still-warm chocolate chip cookies appeared on the table in front of them.

Everyone took one and _Sirius_ nodded. “Just as good as I remember. I’d be interested to know how they got the recipe though. Lily never wrote it down and the only other person who knew it was Jen.”

Harry perked up. “Does that mean we get Mum and Dad back?”  
“How else would we get the recipe?” Ginny asked.

Hermione held up her hand. “Hello?”

Harry deflated somewhat. “Oh yeah.”

**“It does.” Hermione agreed absently. “Strawberry or chocolate …”**

**As the two girls made their way downstairs, Hermione pushed the feeling of unease to the back of her mind …**

“Unease?” Lily repeated.

“You know, that gut feeling you get that says something bad’s going to happen.” Hermione grimaced. “Wouldn’t leave me alone.”

**… but it wouldn’t disappear, as it very rarely does. What she didn’t know was that, in a few weeks time, Harry, and, by default, Sirius, would be getting that very same feeling …**

Addie sighed. “That’s the end of the chapter.”

“Can you not have one quiet year?” Lily asked. “Just one? That’s all I ask.”

Harry chuckled. “Sorry, Mum. I’m a danger-magnet.”


	5. Chapter Three - The Riddle House

Jen took the book from Addie and opened it to the next chapter. “Well, that’s strange.”

“What is?” James asked.

“Well, it seems to have switched perspectives, but …” Jen frowned. “I can’t work out whose point of view this is.”

**Chapter Three**

**The Riddle House**

“Riddle?” David repeated sharply. “As in Tom Riddle? Voldemort?”

“Must be.” Jen looked at Harry and Hermione, but they looked just as confused. “No idea?”

Harry shook his head. “No. Not that I can think of right now anyway.”

“Alright.” Jen cleared her throat and started reading.

**The villagers of Little Hangleton still called it ‘the Riddle House’, even though it had been many years since the Riddle family had lived there. It stood on a hill overlooking the village, some of its windows boarded, tiles missing from its roof, and ivy spreading unchecked over its face. Once a fine looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around, the Riddle House was now damp, derelict and unoccupied.**

During the description, Harry’s face had paled. That was the same manor house he had seen above the graveyard.

“Harry?” Lily called softly. “Are you alright?”

Harry nodded jerkily. “I’m fine, Mum. I think that might be where Voldemort’s father grew up.”

Everyone from the past exchanged a glance. How did Harry know that from a description? No one asked, though – they knew they wouldn’t get an answer.

**The Little Hangletons all agreed that the old house was ‘creepy’.**

“Much more succinct description.” Sirius joked.

**Half a century ago, something strange and horrible had happened there, something that the older inhabitants of the village still liked to discuss when topics for gossip were scarce.**

Lily snorted. She had no patience for gossip, unlike her sister.

**The story had been picked over so many times, and had been embroidered in so many places, that nobody was quite sure what the truth was any more.**

“And that’s why rumours should never be believed.” David said calmly.

**Every version of the tale, however, started in the same place: fifty years before …**

Lily frowned. “So that would be … the 1940s?”

“Around then.” Hermione confirmed.

**… at daybreak on a fine summer’s morning, when the Riddle House had still been well kept and impressive, and a maid had entered the drawing room to find all three Riddles dead.**

“All three?” Remus repeated.

“Well …” Mandy said slowly. “Either Riddle’s father married and had a child or he still lived with his parents.”

**The maid had run screaming down the hill into the village, and roused as many people as she could.**

**“Lying there with their eyes wide open! Cold as ice!**

“Killing Curse?” James asked his father.

David nodded grimly. “Sounds like it.”

**Still in their dinner things!”**

“Who wears their dinner things when it’s just family?” Ginny rolled her eyes.

“We have to.” Draco answered gloomily.

**The police were summoned, and the whole of Little Hangleton had seethed with shocked curiosity and ill-disguised excitement.**

Lily scowled, muttering about horrible neighbours under her breath.

**Nobody wasted their breath pretending to feel very sad about the Riddles, for they had been most unpopular.**

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel sad when someone murders them!” Arabella protested.

**Elderly Mr and Mrs Riddle had been rich, snobbish and rude, and their grown-up son, Tom, had been even more so.**

“So Voldemort’s father and grandparents are dead.” Sirius concluded. “Who’d do that though? It can’t be a coincidence who they’re related to.”

“You don’t think Voldemort did that, do you?” Lily asked sceptically. “He’d still have been in Hogwarts.”

“Remember what Hermione said in the second book?” Addie asked darkly. “Riddle killed at sixteen.”

“I looked him up.” Hermione explained, at Harry’s questioning look. “Over the summer before third year.”

“How do you know it was Voldemort though?” Lily pointed out.

Hermione didn’t answer and Jen kept reading.

**All the villagers cared about was the identity of their murderer – plainly, three apparently healthy people did not all drop dead of natural causes on the same night.**

**The Hanged Man, the village pub, did a roaring trade that night; the whole village had turned out to discuss the murders. They were rewarded for leaving their firesides when the Riddles’ cook arrived dramatically in their midst, and announced to the suddenly silent pub that a man called Frank Bryce had just been arrested.**

Harry closed his eyes. He had never quite remembered the name of the Muggle in his dream afterwards, but now he heard the name again it was suddenly as clear as day in his mind.

**“Frank!” cried several people. “Never!”**

**Frank Bryce was the Riddles’ gardener. He lived alone in a run-down cottage in the Riddle House grounds. Frank had come back from the war with a very stiff leg and a great dislike of crowds and loud noises, and had been working for the Riddles ever since.**

**There was a rush to buy the cook drinks, and hear more details.**

**“Always thought he was odd,” she told the eagerly listening villagers, after her fourth sherry. “Unfriendly, like. I’m sure if I’ve offered him a cuppa once, I’ve offered it a hundred times. Never wanted to mix, he didn’t.”**

“That’s not uncommon!” Hermione protested. “If he was in the war, he probably had PTSD! Loads of servicemen were a little antisocial afterwards!”

**“Ah, now,” said a woman at the bar, “he had a hard war, Frank, he likes a quiet life. That’s no reason to …”**

**“Who else had a key to the back door, then?” barked the cook. “There’s been a spare key hanging in the gardener’s cottage far back as I can remember! Nobody forced the door last night! No broken windows! All Frank had to do was creep up to the big house while we was all sleeping …”**

“And managed to overpower three people without making a sound?” James finished, rolling his eyes. “The Riddles were all awake when they were killed or they wouldn’t have been wearing their dinner things still.”

**The villagers exchanged dark looks.**

**“I always thought he had a nasty look about him, right enough,” grunted a man at the bar.**

**“War turned him funny, if you ask me,” said the landlord.**

**“Told you I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of Frank, didn’t I, Dot?” said an excited woman in the corner.**

**“Horrible temper,” said Dot, nodding fervently, “I remember when he was a kid …”**

“What happened to “never”?” Sirius asked bitingly. He felt a certain camaraderie with this Muggle, since both of them had been accused of a crime they didn’t commit.

**By the following morning, hardly anyone in Little Hangleton doubted that Frank Bryce had killed the Riddles.**

**But over in the neighbouring town of Great Hangleton, in the dark and dingy police station, Frank was stubbornly repeating, again and again, that he was innocent, and that the only person he had seen near the house on the day of the Riddles’ deaths had been a teenage boy, a stranger, dark-haired and pale.**

“Voldemort.” Mandy whispered. “That’s how you knew?”

Hermione nodded. “Frank’s statement was in an old newspaper.”

“You really do your research, don’t you?” Draco commented.

**Nobody else in the village had seen any such boy, and the police were quite sure that Frank had invented him.**

**Then, just when things were looking very serious for Frank, the report on the Riddles’ bodies came back and changed everything.**

“Right, there’d be no Muggle explanation for their death.” Lily realised.

“They could have been poisoned.” James suggested.

“Well, yes, but …” Lily frowned. “Well, there are ways of finding those things out now. I don’t know if there were back then.”

“They didn’t have the same blood tests.” Hermione said. “But they had various tests for common poisons, as well as being able to check for needle marks, rashes or ulcers in the mouth.”

**The police had never read an odder report. A team of doctors had examined the bodies, and had concluded that none of the Riddles had been poisoned, stabbed, shot, strangled, suffocated or (as far as they could tell) harmed at all. In fact, the report continued, in a tone of unmistakeable bewilderment, the Riddles all appeared to be in perfect health – apart from the fact that they were all dead. The doctors did now (as though determined to find something wrong with the bodies) …**

James and Sirius couldn’t help sniggering.

**… that each of the Riddles had a look of terror upon his or her face – but as the frustrated police said, whoever heard of three people being _frightened_ to death?**

“Anyone who’s had the Killing Curse thrown at them.” _Addie_ answered with a shudder.

**As there was no proof that the Riddles had been murdered at all, the police were forced to let Frank go. The Riddles were buried in the Little Hangleton churchyard, and their graves remained objects of curiosity for a while. To everyone’s surprise, and amidst a cloud of suspicion, Frank Bryce returned to his cottage in the grounds of the Riddle House.**

“Where else would he go?” Lily asked sadly. “It’s likely he hasn’t got any family.”

**“’S’far as I’m concerned, he killed them, and I don’t care what the police say,” said Dot in the Hanged Man. “And if he had any decency, he’d leave here, knowing as how we knows he did it.”**

“Cow.” Lily muttered, folding her arms.

**But Frank did not leave. He stayed to tend the garden for the next family who lived in the Riddle House, and then the next – for neither family stayed long. Perhaps it was partly because of Frank that each new owner said that there was a nasty feeling about the place …**

“Probably a curse or a jinx of some sort.” James frowned.

**… which, in the absence of inhabitants, started to fall into disrepair.**

**The wealthy man who owned the Riddle House these days neither lived there nor put it to any use; they said in the village that he kept it for ‘tax reasons’, though nobody was very clear what these might be.**

“Voldemort, do you think?” Addie asked.

**The wealthy owner continued to pay Frank to do the gardening, however.**

“No, probably not.” She decided. “I can’t see Voldemort paying a Muggle to do anything.”

**Frank was nearing his seventy-seventh birthday now, very deaf, his bad leg stiffer than ever, but could be seen pottering around the flowerbeds in fine weather, even though the weeds were starting to creep up on him.**

“Oh, he really shouldn’t still be working at that age.” Lily fussed.

 _He’s not anymore._ Harry grabbed Hermione’s hand.

**Weeds were not the only things Frank had to contend with, either. Boys from the village made a habit of throwing stones through the windows of the Riddle House. They rode their bicycles over the lawns Frank worked so hard to keep smooth. Once or twice, they broke into the old house for a dare. They knew that old Frank was devoted to the house and grounds, and it amused them to see him limping across the garden, brandishing his stick and yelling croakily at them.**

The girls bristled almost as one, furious at their behaviour.

**Frank, on his part, believed the boys tormented him because they, like their parents and grandparents, thought him a murderer.**

“Or they’re disrespectful sods.” Mandy muttered.

**So when Frank awoke one night in August and saw something very odd up at the old house, he merely assumed that the boys had gone one step further in their attempts to punish him.**

“Oh, I’ve got a bad feeling.” Arabella murmured. “They wouldn’t mention it otherwise.”

**It was Frank’s bad leg that woke him; it was paining him worse than ever in his old age. He got up and limped downstairs into the kitchen, with the idea of re-filling his hot water bottle to ease the stiffness in his knee. Standing at the sink, filling up the kettle, he looked up at the Riddle House and saw lights glimmering in its upper windows.**

The room was quiet, everyone waiting on tenterhooks to find out what was about to happen.

**Frank knew at once what was going on. The boys had broken into the house again, and judging by the flickering quality of the light, they had started a fire.**

“That’s not good.” James murmured. “Could be squatters – but who breaks into a house like that to squat?”

**Frank had no telephone, and in any case, he had deeply mistrusted the police ever since they had taken him in for questioning about the Riddles’ deaths. He put down the kettle at once, hurried back upstairs as fast as his bad leg would allow, and was soon back in his kitchen, fully dressed and removing a rusty old key from its hook by the door. He picked up his walking stick, which was propped against the wall, and set off into the night.**

“Why do I get the feeling he just signed his death warrant?” Regulus commented dryly.

No one answered.

**The front door of the Riddle House bore no sign of being forced, and nor did any of the windows.**

“Wizards.” Alice whispered, clutching Neville’s hand.

**Frank limped around to the back of the house until he reached a door almost completely hidden by ivy, took out the old key, put it into the lock and opened the door noiselessly.**

**He let himself into the cavernous kitchen. Frank had not entered it for many years; nevertheless, although it was very dark, he remembered where the door into the hall was, and he groped his way towards it, his nostrils full of the small of decay, ears pricked for any sound of footsteps or voices from overhead. He reached the hall, which was a little lighter owing to the large mullioned windows either side of the front door, and started to climb the stairs, blessing the dust which lay thick on stone, because it muffled the sound of his feet and stick.**

Harry couldn’t help shivering as the memory of the dream became more vivid.

**On the landing, Frank turned right, and saw at once where the intruders were: at the very end of the passage a door stood ajar, and a flickering light shone through the gap, casting a long sliver of gold across the black floor. Frank edged closer and closer, grasping his walking stick firmly. Several feet from the entrance, he was able to see a narrow slice of the room beyond.**

The atmosphere changed slightly from rapt attention to apprehension.

**The fire, he now saw, had been lit in the grate. This surprised him. He stopped moving and listened intently, for a man’s voice spoke within the room; it sounded timid and fearful.**

The three Marauders narrowed their eyes, but didn’t say anything.

**“There is a little more in the bottle, my Lord, if you are still hungry.”**

“Voldemort’s there.” Alice whispered.

“This won’t end well.” Lily predicted. “I wonder what he’s drinking.”

“Somehow I doubt it’s firewhiskey.” James frowned.

**“Later,” said a second voice. This, too, belonged to a man – but it was strangely high-pitched, and cold as a sudden blast of icy wind. Something about that voice made the sparse hairs on the back of Frank’s neck stand up.**

Jen’s eyes darkened. “You’re not going to like this.”

**“Move me closer to the fire, Wormtail.”**

To everyone’s surprise, there was no outburst of anger.

The three Marauders had already guessed who Voldemort’s companion was, so it wasn’t a shock to them. The only indication that Wormtail was anything more than just another name was the tightening of three jaws.

Mandy closed her eyes. She and Peter had been nothing more than friends, but they talked a lot more than the others, when the other three Marauders were with their girlfriends – or harassing Addie, in Sirius’s case – and she had thought that she knew him. To find that he had betrayed them all like that hurt _now_ , let alone after a relationship that had apparently caused her to fall in love with him.

**Frank turned his right ear towards the door, the better to hear. There came the chink of a bottle being put down upon a hard surface, and then the dull scraping noise of a heavy chair being dragged across the floor. Frank caught a glimpse of a small man, his back to the door, pushing the chair into place. He was wearing a long, black cloak, and there was a bald patch at the back of his head.**

“Is there a cure for baldness?” Harry asked suddenly. He was met by several incredulous looks.

“Really, mate?” Fred snickered.

Harry blushed, but protested, “The wizarding world can mend broken bones in a second – I just find it weird that we still suffer from hair-loss.”

 _Sirius_ was openly grinning at his godson, who was doing a good impersonation of a tomato. “There is a potion regime you can go on, but it’s quite expensive.”

Harry nodded understandingly.

**Then he disappeared from sight again.**

**“Where is Nagini?” said the cold voice.**

“Who’s Nagini?” Sirius asked.

“Not who, what.” Regulus corrected with a slight shiver. “She’s the Dark Lord’s familiar. Three guesses as to what animal – and the first two don’t count.”

“How did you know that?” David asked suspiciously.

Regulus’s left arm twitched, but few people noticed. “My cousin’s betrothed to one of the Dark Lord’s most faithful followers, Potter. Do I really need to answer?” He knew they knew he became a Death Eater in the future, but as far as he was aware, the auror had no idea he already had the Mark. He wasn’t about to advertise it.

**“I – I don’t know, my Lord,” said the first voice nervously. “She set out to explore the house, I think …”**

“I hope Frank watches himself.” Lily murmured. “With a giant snake on the loose.”

“Yeah, the snake’s what he wants to watch out for.” Sirius snorted. “Never mind the two murderers on the other side of the door.” **  
“You will milk her before we retire, Wormtail,” said the second voice. “I will need feeding in the night.**

“How do you milk a snake?” James frowned.

“It means to extract the venom.” Lily explained. “Though why he’s drinking snake venom …”  
Regulus looked pensive. “Well …” he said slowly, “there is a ritual that would allow the Dark Lord to regain a body … and I’m fairly sure the preparation includes snake venom.”

**The journey has tired me greatly.”**

“Journey from where?” Mandy asked curiously. “Where did he go?”

Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance and waited for a letter to tell them they couldn’t. When none appeared, Hermione answered, “Albania.”

“That’s where I was when James and Lily were attacked.” Mandy stated.

 _Sirius_ nodded. “We believed that was where Voldemort’s HQ was. Never thought it might in the middle of the ocean,” he added slightly bitterly, glancing at _Addie_.

“It’s not.” _Addie_ disagreed. “It’s very sparse for a Headquarters. There’s a huge tower out there, but I’ve never seen anyone go in or out. And there were never that many Death Eaters there at once. Besides I don’t think they’d have taken us there, in case we escaped and could lead people back. Though whether we could …”

“Wasn’t it dangerous sending Mandy on her own to Albania if you thought that was where HQ was?” Arabella asked with a frown.

“We weren’t sending an assassin.” _Sirius_ smirked weakly. “Just a scout. Besides, she wasn’t alone – Hestia Jones was with her.”

“Hestia?” Lily repeated. “I know that name.”

“Ravenclaw a year above us.” Sirius supplied. “Dark hair.”

 _Sirius_ nodded. “That’s her. We worked together as aurors.”

**Brow furrowed, Frank inclined his good ear still closer to the door, listening very hard. There was a pause, and then the man called Wormtail spoke again.**

**“My Lord, may I ask how long we are going to stay here?”**

“He’s got guts.” _Sirius_ commented idly. “Most Death Eaters don’t dare ask a question.”

“Most Death Eaters aren’t relied upon for his continued existence.” Harry pointed out.

**“A week,” said the cold voice. “Perhaps longer. The place is moderately comfortable, and the plan cannot proceed yet. It would be foolish to act before the Quidditch World Cup is over.”**

**Frank inserted a gnarled finger into his ear and rotated it. Owing, no doubt, to a build-up of earwax, he had heard the word ‘Quidditch’, which was not a word at all.**

James gasped and Lily hit him on the arm. “He’s a Muggle, James. He won’t have heard of Quidditch.”

**“The – the Quidditch World Cup, my Lord?” said Wormtail. (Frank dug his finger still more vigorously into his ear.) “Forgive me, but – I do not understand – why should we wait until the World Cup is over?”**

Remus groaned. “Was he always this much of an idiot or has he gotten worse?”

Sirius gave a tight smile. “We were always pretty easy on him.”

**“Because, fool, at this very moment wizards are pouring into the country from all over the world, and every meddler from the Ministry of Magic will be on duty, on the watch for signs of unusual activity, checking and double-checking identities. They will be obsessed with security, lest the Muggles notice anything. So we wait.”**

**Frank stopped trying to clear his ear out. He had distinctly heard the words ‘Ministry of Magic’, ‘wizards’ and ‘Muggles’. Plainly, each of these expressions meant something secret, and Frank could think of only two sorts of people who would speak in code – spies and criminals.**

“Smart man.” David commented.

**Frank tightened his hold on his walking stick once more, and listened more closely still.**

**“Your Lordship is still determined, then?” Wormtail said quietly.**

**“Certainly I am determined, Wormtail.” There was a note of menace in the cold voice now.**

“Uh oh.” James murmured, not sure whether to smirk or not.

**A slight pause followed – and then Wormtail spoke, the words tumbling from him in a rush, as though he was forcing himself to say this before he lost his nerve.**

**“It could be done without Harry Potter, my Lord.”**

“I’m sorry.” Lily said in a deceptively calm voice. “Did he just say Harry Potter?”

“Er, yes?” Harry answered carefully.

Lily melted into James’s arms. “Not again.” She whispered. “Not again.”

**Another pause, more protracted, and then –**

**“Without Harry Potter?” breathed the second voice softly. “I see …”**

**“My Lord, I do not say this out of concern for the boy!” said Wormtail, his voice rising squeakily. “The boy is nothing to me, nothing at all!**

“Thanks Peter.” James said softly. “Good to know how much we mean to you.”

**It is merely that if we were to use another witch or wizard – any wizard – the thing could be done so much more quickly! If you allowed me to leave you for a short while – you know that I can disguise myself most effectively – I could be back here in as little as two days with a suitable person –”**

“Unbelievable.” Mandy muttered, looking disgusted.

**“I could use another wizard,” said the first voice softly, “that is true …”**

“And what, exactly, does he want to use you for?” Lily asked shakily.

“Out of interest,” Regulus said, “do you really want to know, or am I going to get yelled at if I tell you and give you a heart attack?”

Lily glared at him. “Why does he want my son?!” She hissed.

“The ritual I mentioned earlier,” Regulus answered quickly – even he was slightly intimidated, “requires blood of the enemy. Of course, there’s a chance I’m completely off the mark.”

**“My Lord, it makes sense,” said Wormtail, sounding thoroughly relieved now, “laying hands on Harry Potter would be so difficult, he is so well protected –”**

**“And so you volunteer to go and fetch me a substitute? I wonder … perhaps the task of nursing me has become wearisome for you, Wormtail?**

“Wouldn’t it anyone?” James asked.

“Out of interest,” Hermione commented, turning to Harry, “is it weird that we refer to Peter as his Marauder name? We don’t do it with Remus and Sirius – and I don’t do it with James. And yet Peter’s the one who betrayed them.”

Harry shrugged. “Wormtail’s the rat. Peter’s the man.”

Hermione nodded thoughtfully.

**Could this suggestion of abandoning the plan be nothing more than an attempt to desert me?”**

**“My Lord! I – I have no wish to leave you, none at all –”**

**“Do not lie to me!” hissed the second voice. “I can always tell, Wormtail! You are regretting that you ever returned to me. I revolt you.**

“Oh, you revolt everyone.” Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

**I see you flinch when you look at me, feel you shudder when you touch me …”**

“Well, he’s not a complete idiot.” Fred stated.

**“No! My devotion to your Lordship …”**

**“Your devotion is nothing more than cowardice.**

“True.” Harry muttered.

**You would not be here if you had anywhere else to go. How am I to survive without you, when I need feeding every few hours? Who is to milk Nagini?”**

**“But you seem to much stronger, my Lord –”**

**“Liar,” breathed the second voice. “I am no more stronger, and a few days alone would be enough to rob me of the little health I have regained under your clumsy care. _Silence!_ ”**

**Wormtail, who had been spluttering incoherently, fell silent for once. For a few seconds, Frank could here nothing but the fire crackling. Then the second man spoke once more, in a whisper that was almost a hiss.**

**“I have my reasons for using the boy, as I have already explained to you, and I will use no other.**

“Why Harry though?” Sirius frowned. “If Reg is right, surely any enemy would do. And as much as I hate to admit it, Wormtail’s got a point.”

“It could have something to do with Lily’s protection.” David answered slowly. “If Harry’s blood runs in Voldemort’s veins, the protection would no longer work, because Harry’s blood, of course, is Lily’s blood.”

“So if this works, Voldemort would have the same protection Harry does?” Lily asked quietly. She shuddered at the thought of Voldemort taking something as pure as her love for her son and desecrating it like that.

“Well …” David thought for a second. “It’s difficult to say, Lily. Blood magic is incredibly difficult to predict, which is one of the reasons the Ministry considers it dark. Of course this was unintentional,” he added hastily. “But it’s really only sanctioned to be used as wards and even then you need permission. It could give Voldemort protection or, on the flip-side, it could actually weaken him.”

**I have waited thirteen years. A few more months will make no difference. As for the protection surrounding the boy, I believe my plan will be effective. All that is needed is a little courage from you, Wormtail …**

“Hasn’t exactly got any of that lying around, has he?” Addie asked scathingly.

**…courage you will find, unless you wish to feel the fill extent of Lord Voldemort’s wrath –”**

**“My Lord, I must speak!” said Wormtail, panic in his voice now. “All through my journey I have gone over the plan in my head – my Lord, Bertha Jorkin’s disappearance …**

“Bertha Jorkins?” _Addie_ repeated. “Not that nosy little cow in Hufflepuff two years below us?”

“That’s the one.” _Sirius_ sighed.

“How she got to be a Hufflepuff when she’s got no loyalty whatsoever …” _Addie_ muttered.

“Now, Addie, don’t speak ill of the dead.” Hermione murmured.

 _Addie_ looked stunned. “She’s … really?”

“Really.” _Sirius_ confirmed in an undertone.

**… will not go unnoticed for long, and if we proceed, if I curse –”**

**“If?” whispered the first voice. “ _If?_ If you follow the plan, Wormtail, the Ministry need never know that anyone else has disappeared.**

“That doesn’t sound good.” David frowned. “How is someone going to disappear without anyone noticing?”

“Polyjuice.” Regulus answered softly. “If someone were to impersonate that person, then no one, theoretically, would realise.”

**You will do it quietly, and without fuss; I only wish that I could do it myself, but in my present condition … come, Wormtail, one more obstacle removed and our path to Harry Potter is clear. I am not asking you to do it alone. By that time, my _faithful_ servant will have rejoined us –”**

“I wonder who that is then.” Sirius commented.

“I can think of a few names.” James scowled.

“No, Sirius is right.” Jen gazed at the book. “Voldemort wouldn’t consider those who bought their way out of Azkaban faithful. Unless someone else is planning on breaking out of Azkaban …”

“Honey?” Remus prompted when she lapsed into thought. “You’re the one reading.”

**“ _I_ am a faithful servant,” said Wormtail, the merest trace of sullenness in his voice.**

**“Wormtail, I need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty has never wavered, and you, unfortunately, fulfil neither requirement.”**

Despite the person speaking and who they were speaking to, no one could help sniggering at that.

**“I found you,” said Wormtail, and there was definitely a sulky edge to his voice now. “I was the one who found you. I brought you Bertha Jorkins.”**

“I can’t believe he’s sulking because he’s not getting praise for leading an innocent woman to her death.” Harry growled. He’d forgotten about the mention of Bertha Jorkins and was mad that he hadn’t been able to tell anyone earlier.

**“That is true,” said the second man, sounding amused. “A stroke of brilliance I would not have thought possible from you, Wormtail – though, if truth be told, you were not aware how useful she would be when you caught her, were you?”**

**“I – I thought she might be useful, my Lord –”**

**“Liar,” said the first voice again, the cruel amusement even more pronounced than ever. “However, I do not deny that her information was invaluable. Without it, I could never have formed our plan, and for that, you will have your reward, Wormtail. I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hands to perform …”**

“Oh, that’s not good.” Regulus murmured.

“What do you mean?” Lily asked hastily.

“The ritual I mentioned earlier …” Regulus began.

Jen cut him off with a gasp, although still avoided actually looking at him. “Oh, I know the one you mean now!” She caught sight of Sirius’s expression. “Oh, come on, Padfoot, I _know_ you were there for this.”  
Sirius rolled his eyes. “I try to block out as much as possible of what I learned at that house. I’ll never understand why you don’t do the same.”

“In case of situations like this.” Jen answered coolly. “You can’t fight the Dark Arts if you don’t know about them.”

“Well said.” David agreed quietly. “That’s the downfall of many an auror – even Alastor Moody, as good as he is, has that one flaw, a flaw I fully admit to as well, mind you.”

“She’s right.” _Sirius_ added. “That’s what made Jen such a good auror.”

“Go on then.” Sirius prompted. “What this got to do with Voldemort just said?”

“The ritual involved bone of the father, blood of the enemy and flesh of the servant.” Jen answered. “There’s a chance that Peter will _literally_ have to give his right hand.”

**“R-really, my Lord? What –?” Wormtail sounded terrified again.**

**“Ah, Wormtail, you don’t want me to spoil the surprise? Your part will come at the very end … but I promise you, you will have the honour of being just as useful as Bertha Jorkins.”**

**“You … you …” Wormtail’s voice sounded suddenly hoarse, as though his mouth had gone very dry. “You … are going … to kill me, too?”**

There was a hushed silence as it was confirmed by a second source that this poor woman was dead.

**“Wormtail, Wormtail,” said the cold voice silkily, “why would I kill you? I killed Bertha because I had to. She was fit for nothing after my questioning, quite useless.**

“Torture, do you think?” James asked in a hushed voice.

“Possibly.” Alice answered shakily, clutching Neville closer to her.

**In any case, awkward questions would have been asked if she had gone back to the Ministry with the news that she had met you on her holidays. Wizards who are supposed to be dead would do well not to run into Ministry of Magic witches at wayside inns …”**

**Wormtail muttered something so quietly that Frank could not hear it, that Frank could not hear it, but it made the second man laugh – an entirely mirthless laugh, cold as his speech.**

**“ _We could have modified her memory?_**

Though no one said it, several people were quite relieved that Peter had suggested that, since it gave a glimpse of the boy they knew, trying to spare a life, rather than a murderer intent on taking one.

**But Memory Charms can be broken by a powerful wizard, as I proved when I questioned her.**

“Now that’s interesting.” David commented. “I wonder why her memory had been modified.”

“She must have found something out that no one wanted found out.” Regulus agreed.

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me.” _Addie_ admitted. “The girl was a terrible gossip.” She and _Sirius_ exchanged a wry smile, remembering the same Hufflepuff catching them behind the greenhouses and spreading it around the school. Out of principle more than anything, they’d both hexed her, although only _Sirius_ ’s had taken hold.

**It would be an insult to her _memory_ not to use the information I extracted from her, Wormtail.”**

**Out in the corridor, Frank suddenly became aware that the hand gripping his walking stick was slippery with sweat. The man with the cold voice had killed a woman. He was talking about it without any kind of remorse – with _amusement_. He was dangerous – a madman. And he was planning more murders – this boy, Harry Potter, whoever he was – was in danger –**

**Frank knew what he must do. Now, if ever, was the time to go to the police.**

“That’s not a good idea.” Narcissa whispered.

“Why not?” James retorted. “He needs to get help!”

“And what help will Muggles be to take out a wizard?!” Narcissa demanded. “He’d kill all of them!”

“Probably not all of them.” Hermione said thoughtfully. “I don’t know how effective a shield charm would be against a bullet.” Seeing the looks of confusion, she elaborated, “A bullet is used in a Muggle weapon called a gun, which is a metal, L-shaped object. It uses force and something called gun-powder to fire a bullet – a small metal projectile – out of the cylinder at great speed. It’s highly dangerous and can cause grievous bodily injury and, in some cases, death.”

The purebloods stared at her in amazement.

“Is that what Vernon had in the first book?” Alice asked.

Hermione thought back. “He had a rifle, which is a type of gun, yes. They come in various sizes and shapes and the bullets vary from very small to very large. The speed they fire at differs as well – some can only fire one before needing to ‘reload’ and others – machine guns – can fire many bullets very quickly.”

**He would creep out of the house and head straight for the telephone box in the village … but the cold voice was speaking again, and Frank remained where he was, frozen to the spot, listening with all his might.**

**“One more curse … my faithful servant at Hogwarts … Harry Potter is as good as mine, Wormtail. It is decided. There will be no more argument. But quiet … I think I hear Nagini …”**

**And the second man’s voice changed. He started making noises such as Frank had never heard before; he was hissing and spitting without drawing breath.**

“Parseltongue.” Hermione concluded.

“Is that really what it sounds like?” James asked.

“Here.” Hermione raised her wand and pointed it at an empty patch of carpet. “ _Sperpensortia._ ”

A green garden snake appeared and Harry knelt down before it. He opened his mouth, but instead of English, a strange hissing noise escaped it.

“Harry, I love you,” Lily told him, “but that’s really creepy.”

“I know.” Harry grinned. “Now how do we get rid of it?”

Hermione blushed. “I don’t know.”

 _Sirius_ chuckled and waved his wand, causing the snake to vanish. “Never cast a spell you don’t know how to reverse, Hermione.”

**Frank thought he must be having some sort of fit or seizure.**

**And then Frank heard movement behind him in the dark passageway. He turned to look behind him, and found himself paralysed with fright.**

**Something was slithering towards him along the dark corridor, and as it drew nearer to the sliver of firelight, he realised with a thrill of terror that it was a gigantic snake, at least twelve feet long.**

“Merlin …” Lily whispered.

**Horrified, transfixed, Frank stared at it as its undulating body cut a wide curving track through the thick dust on the floor, coming closer and closer – what was he to do? The only means of escape was into the room where two men sat plotting murder, yet if he stayed where he was the snake would surely kill him …**

“It won’t.” Harry disagreed. “Voldemort’s calling her in; she won’t stop for food.”

**But before he had made his decision, the snake was level with him, and then, miraculously, it was passing; it was following the spitting, hissing noises made by the cold voice beyond the door, and in seconds, the tip of its diamond-patterned tail had vanished through the gap.**

“I wonder what kind of snake it is.” Arabella murmured.

Mandy gave her an incredulous look. “Why does that matter?”

**There was sweat on Frank’s forehead now, and the hand on the walking stick was trembling. Inside the room, the cold voice was continuing to hiss, and Frank was visited by a strange idea, an impossible idea … _This man could talk to snakes._**

“On the ball, this one.” Remus commented.

“I wonder if he already saw magic and was obliviated.” Lily mused. “The Muggle Second World War and the war with Grindelwald did cross paths quite a few times. And it would explain why he’s so open-minded,”

**Frank didn’t understand what was going on. He wanted more than anything to be back in his bed with his hot-water bottle. The problem was that his legs didn’t seem to want to move.**

“No, move.” James whispered.

**As he stood there shaking, and trying to master himself, the cold voice switched abruptly to English again.**

**“Nagini has interesting news, Wormtail,” it said.**

“He’s dead.” Addie sighed.

**“In-indeed, my Lord?” said Wormtail.**

**“Indeed, yes,” said the voice. “According to Nagini, there is an old Muggle standing right outside this room, listening to every word we say.”**

**Frank didn’t have a chance to hide himself. There were footsteps, and then the door of the room was flung wide open.**

**A short, balding man with greying hair, a pointed nose and small, watery eyes stood before Frank, a mixture of fear and alarm on his face.**

“I don’t know why he’s looking scared.” Mandy scowled. “He’s not the one who’s about to get murdered!”

**“Invite him inside, Wormtail. Where are your manners?”**

“Yes, we must show manners before we commit murder, mustn’t we?” Lily asked sarcastically.

Harry shivered. _Bow to death, Harry._

**The cold voice was coming from the ancient armchair before the fire, but Frank couldn’t see the speaker. The snake, on the other hand, was curled up on the rotting hearth-rug, like some horrible travesty of a pet dog.**

**Wormtail beckoned Frank into the room. Though still deeply shaken, Frank took a firmer grip upon his walking stick, and limped over the threshold.**

“What do you think?” James asked. “Honorary Gryffindor?”

Sirius and Remus nodded in agreement.

**The fire was the only source of light in the room; it was casting long, spidery shadows upon the walls. Frank stared at the back of the armchair; the man inside it seemed to be even smaller than his servant, for Frank couldn’t even see the back of his head.**

“Or he’s not a man.” Harry said in a low voice.

**“You heard everything, Muggle?” said the cold voice.**

**“What’s that you’re calling me?” said Frank defiantly, for now that he was inside the room, now that the time had come for some sort of action, he felt braver; it had always been so in the war.**

“Definitely a Gryffindor.” _Sirius_ agreed. “Sounds like James and I before raids.”

David chuckled. “You mean waiting for the go-ahead practically crapping yourself and then suddenly sinking into a headspace?”

 _Sirius_ nodded. “Yeah, that about sums it up. Once you add the ‘oh shit’ moment afterwards.”

“What’s that?” Lily asked.

“It’s the moment after a raid when you suddenly realise how many times you nearly died and your legs give out and you think ‘oh shit …’” _Sirius_ answered. “Isn’t always immediate either. I remember once we got through a whole debriefing and were in the middle of Diagon Alley when James suddenly fell sideways. Took me, Moony _and_ Jen to hold him up. Lily would have helped, but she wasn’t much better.”

“I thought you said I wasn’t an auror and why were we both so shaken?” Lily asked quickly.

“It was an Order mission and there’s not many people who can have Voldemort appear in front of them and walk away unscathed.” _Sirius_ answered calmly. “James and Lily – and Alice and Frank now that I think about it – did it three times.”

James, Lily and Alice gaped at him. “Three times?” James repeated quietly.

 _Sirius_ nodded, before gesturing hurriedly for Jen to start reading again.

**“I am calling you a Muggle,” said the voice coolly. “It means that you are not a wizard.”**

**“I don’t know what you mean by wizard,” said Frank, his voice growing steadier. “All I know is I’ve heard enough to interest the police tonight, I have. You’ve done murder and you’re planning more! And I’ll tell you this, too,” he added, on a sudden inspiration, “my wife knows I’m up here, and if I don’t come back –”**

“No good.” Regulus sighed. “The Dark Lord is a Legilimens – he’ll know.”

**“You have no wife,” said the cold voice, very quietly. “Nobody knows you are here. You told nobody that you were coming. Do not lie to Lord Voldemort, Muggle, for he knows … he always knows …”**

**“Is that right?” said Frank roughly. “Lord, is it? Well, I don’t think much of your manners, _my Lord_. Turn around and face me like a man, why don’t you?”**

**“But I am not a man, Muggle,” said the cold voice, barely audible now over the crackling flames. I am much, much more than a man.**

“No, you are much, much less.” _Addie_ hissed, nestling into _Sirius_ ’s side. Memories of Regulus’s last hours and his final request swam through her mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to utter the words. If she did that, she would have to elaborate and she wasn’t ready to do that.

**However … why not? I will face … Wormtail, come turn my chair around.”**

**The servant gave a whimper.**

**“You heard me, Wormtail.”**

**Slowly, with his face screwed up, as though he would rather have done anything than approach his master and the hearth-rug where the snake lay, the small man walked forwards and began to turn the chair. The snake lifted its ugly triangular head and hissed slightly as the legs of the chair snagged on its rug.**

**And then the chair was facing Frank, and he saw what was sitting in it. His walking stick fell to the floor with a clatter. He opened his mouth and let out a scream. He was screaming so loudly that he never heard the words the thing in the chair spoke, as it raised a wand. There was a flash of green light, a rushing sound, and Frank Bryce crumpled. He was dead before he hit the floor.**

Silence fell for a few minutes, as they paid their respects to the brave man.

**Two hundred miles away, the boy called Harry Potter woke with a start.**

“Harry?” Lily questioned sharply. “Did you dream that?”

“Not the beginning bit.” Harry sighed. “But the last bit, yes.”

“How?” David asked.

Harry shrugged. “I don’t know. No one seems to be able to answer that question.”


	6. Chapter Four - The Scar

Jen cleared her throat. “Well, that’s the end of the chapter.”

“I’ll take it.” James said. “I want to know what’s going on.”

**Chapter Four**

**The Scar**

Lily cast a worried look at the lightning-bolt mark on Harry’s forehead.

**Harry lay flat on his back, breathing hard as though he had been running. He had awoken from a vivid dream with his hands pressed over his face. The old scar on his forehead, which was shaped like a bolt of lightning, was burning beneath his fingers as though someone had just pressed a white-hot wire to his skin.**

Mandy gasped. “Isn’t that what happened in first year? But Voldemort isn’t in Privet Drive, is he?”

“No.” Harry answered, but didn’t elaborate.

**He sat up, one hand still on his scar, the other reaching out in the darkness for his glasses, which were on the bedside table. He put them on and his bedroom came into clearer focus, lit by a faint, misty orange light that was filtering through the curtains from the street lamp outside the window.**

“Harry, it’s too early for you to be awake.” Lily whispered.

Harry smiled. “I can’t sleep after nightmares, Mum.”

**Harry ran his fingers over the scar again. It was still painful. He turned on the lamp beside him, scrambled out of bed, crossed the room, opened the wardrobe and peered into the mirror on the inside of the door. A skinny boy of fourteen looked back at him, his bright green eyes puzzled under his untidy black hair. He examined the lightning-bolt scar of his reflection more closely. It looked normal, but it was still stinging.**

**Harry tried to recall what he had been dreaming about before he had awoken.**

“You couldn’t remember?” Jen asked.

“The more I tried, the more I forgot.” Harry explained, rubbing his forehead.

**It had seemed so real … there had been two people he knew, and one he didn’t … he concentrated hard, frowning, trying to remember …**

**The dim picture of a darkened room came to him … there had been a snake on a hearth-rug … a small man called Peter, nicknamed Wormtail … and a cold, high voice … the voice of Lord Voldemort. Harry felt as though an ice cube and slipped down into his stomach at the very thought …**

Lily reached out and took Harry’s hand, squeezing softly.

**He closed his eyes tightly and tried to remember what Voldemort had looked like, but it was impossible … all Harry knew was at the moment when Voldemort’s chair had swung around, and he, Harry, had seen what was sitting in it, he had felt a spasm of horror, which had awoken him … or had that been the pain in his scar?**

“Oh Harry …” Lily whispered.

**And who had the old man been? For there had definitely been an old man; Harry had watched him fall to the ground. It was all becoming confused; Harry put his face into his hands, blocking out his bedroom, trying to hold on to the picture of the dimly lit room, but it was like trying to keep water in his cupped hands; the details were now trickling away as fast as he tried to hold on to them … Voldemort and Wormtail had been talking about someone they had killed, though Harry could not remember the name …**

“If only I had …” Harry sighed.

“No one would have listened, Harry.” Hermione told him comfortingly. “Maybe Dumbledore, but the search would have continued.”

**… and they had been plotting to kill someone else … _him_ …**

“Yeah, that didn’t scare me as much as it should have done.” Harry commented.

“Well, it scares _me_.” Lily retorted.

**Harry took his face out of his hands, opened his eyes and stared around his bedroom as though expecting to see something unusual there. As it happened, there were an extraordinary number of unusual things in this room. A large wooden trunk stood open at the foot of his bed, revealing a cauldron, broomstick, black robes and assorted spell-books. Rolls of parchment littered that part of his desk that was not taken up by the large, empty cage in which his snowy owl, Hedwig, usually perched. On the floor beside his bed a book lay open; he had been reading it before he fell asleep the previous night. The pictures in the book were all moving. Men in bright orange robes were zooming in and out of sight on broomsticks, throwing a red ball to each other.**

James groaned, looking up from the book. “Tell me you haven’t become a Cannons fan!”

Harry chuckled. “No, I support Puddlemere United, but Ron’s the one who buys me Quidditch stuff.”

“Why Puddlemere?” Lily asked curiously.

Harry grinned. “Oliver’s on the reserve team. Call it Gryffindor loyalty.”

**Harry walked over to this book, picked it up and watched one of the wizards score a spectacular goal by putting the ball through a fifty-foot-high hoop.**

“Spectacular goal? The Cannons?” Remus sniggered. “Doubtful.”

**Then he snapped the book shut. Even Quidditch – in Harry’s opinion, the best sport in the world …**

“There’s the Potter genes.” Jen chuckled.

**…couldn’t distract him at the moment. He placed _Flying with the Cannons_ on his bedside table, crossed to the window and drew back the curtains to survey the street below.**

**Privet Drive looked exactly as a respectable suburban street would be expected to look in the early hours of Saturday morning.**

“It looks like that all the time.” Harry sighed.

**All the curtains were closed. As far as Harry could see through the darkness, there wasn’t a living creature in sight, not even a cat.**

**And yet … and yet … Harry went restlessly back to his bed and sat down on it, running a finger over his scar again. It wasn’t the pain that bothered him; Harry was no stranger to pain and injury.**

Lily tightened her grip at the memory.

**He had lost all the bones from his right arm once, and had them painfully regrown in a night. The same arm had been pierced by a venomous foot-long fang not long afterwards.**

“That reminds me, Harry,” James said, looking up, “Lockhart? Why would you go to Lockhart?”

Harry blushed lightly. “Wishful thinking.”

**Only last year Harry had fallen fifty feet from an airborne broomstick. He was used to bizarre accidents and injuries; they were unavoidable if you attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and had a knack for attracting a lot of trouble.**

“I don’t attract trouble!” Harry protested. “Trouble attracts me!”

“That’s even worse.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “At least we both agree on where the trouble seems to gravitate.”

**No, the thing that was bothering Harry was that the last time his scar had hurt him, it had been because Voldemort had been close by … but Voldemort couldn’t be here, now … the idea of Voldemort lurking in Privet Drive lurking in Privet Drive was absurd, impossible …**

“If the blood wards work, he wouldn’t be able to get there.” David stated.

“And even if they don’t, Dumbledore must have some sort of wards there.” Hermione added. “There’d be aurors all over the place if you were in any danger.”

**Harry listened closely to the silence around him. Was he half expecting to hear the creak of a stair, or the swish of a cloak? And then he jumped slightly as he heard his cousin Dudley give a tremendous grunting snore from the next room.**

**Harry shook himself mentally; he was being stupid; there was no one in the house with him except Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley, and they were plainly still asleep, their dreams untroubled and painless.**

**Asleep was the way Harry liked the Dursleys best; it wasn’t as though they were ever any help to him awake.**

“You can say that again.” Harry muttered.

**Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley were Harry’s only living relatives. They were Muggles (non-magical people) who hated and despised magic in any form, which meant that Harry was about as welcome in their house as dry rot.**

“You’ll like it at Grimmauld Place then, Harry.” Fred said innocently.

“Why?” Harry asked, a wary expression on his face.

“There’s already plenty of dry rot there – the position’s filled.” Fred grinned. “You’ll just have to take the job of scrawny superhero instead.”

Harry laughed. “I’m hardly a superhero, Fred.”

**They had explained away Harry’s long absences at Hogwarts over the last three years by telling everyone that he went to St Brutus’s Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys. The only person who knew the truth – and Harry’s only human ally on Privet Drive – was their next door neighbour Jessica, who adored Harry about as much as the Dursleys hated him.**

Lily beamed at the book. “I want to meet this woman.”

“She’s the best.” Harry agreed. “She’s … Well, she’s the closest thing I have to a mother.”

Lily’s smile faded slightly and she squeezed his hand.

“She could never replace you though.” Harry added in an undertone. “She never tried.”

**His relatives knew perfectly well that, as an underage wizard, Harry wasn’t allowed to use magic outside Hogwarts, but were still apt to blame him for anything that went wrong about the house.**

Lily scowled, but said nothing.

**Harry had never been able to confide in them, or tell them anything about his life in the wizarding world. The very idea of going to them when they awoke, and telling them about his scar hurting him, and about his worries about Voldemort, was laughable.**

“That’s awful, mate.” Neville sympathised. “Gran can be hard to deal with at times, but she’s nowhere near that bad.”

**And yet it was because of Voldemort that Harry had come to live with the Dursleys in the first place. If it hadn’t been for Voldemort, Harry would not have had the lightning scar on his forehead. If it hadn’t been for Voldemort, Harry would still have had parents …**

“Oh, not again!” Lily sighed.

James’s jaw clenched, and he read as quickly as possible.

**Harry had been a year old the night that Voldemort – the most powerful Dark wizard for a century, a wizard who had been steadily for eleven years – arrived at his house and killed his father and mother. Voldemort had then turned his wand on Harry; he had performed the curse that had disposed of so many full-grown wizards and witches in his steady rise to power – and, incredibly, it had not worked. Instead of killing the small boy, the curse had rebounded upon Voldemort. Harry had survived with nothing but a lightning-shaped cut on his forehead, and Voldemort had been reduced to something barely alive. His powers gone, his life almost extinguished, Voldemort had fled; the terror in which the secret community of witches and wizards had lived for so long had lifted, Voldemort’s followers had disbanded, and Harry Potter had become famous.**

“Unfortunately.” Harry muttered.

**It had been enough of a shock for Harry to discover, on his eleventh birthday, that he was a wizard; it had been even more disconcerting to find out that everyone in the hidden wizarding world knew his name. Harry had arrived at Hogwarts to find that heads turned and whispers followed him wherever he went. But he was used to it now: at the end of this summer, he would be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts; and he was already counting the days until he would be back at the castle again.**

**But there was still a fortnight to go before he went back to school. He looked hopelessly around his room again, and his eye paused on the birthday cards his two best friends had sent him at the end of July.**

“Oh, that reminds me.” _Sirius_ commented. “Happy birthday, Neville.”

“It’s your birthday?” Alice asked. “You never mentioned that.”  
Neville blushed. “I turned fifteen yesterday. Oh, happy birthday, Harry. Slipped my mind.”  
Harry grinned. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t know your birthday was the day before mine.”

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “Alice and Lily were in the same ward. Of course, Harry was early.”

“I was early?” Harry asked.

 _Sirius_ nodded. “You were due mid-August. James and Jen were at work and Lily had gone to Diagon Alley with me and … Peter. We were in the middle of the Alley when her waters broke. Peter was panicking. “Not now! Not now! You’re too early! Quick, close your legs and hold him in!” Lily nearly murdered him.”

Despite the freshness of the wound, no one could help laughing, especially the Marauders, since _Sirius_ ’s impersonation had been extremely accurate.

“I got there in time, right?” James asked once everyone had calmed down.

“Yeah, of course.” _Sirius_ assured him. “Well in time. Enough for you to irritate Lily so much that she kicked you out until it was _actually_ time and for you to pace a hole in the corridor until _we_ threatened to kick you out.”

Lily giggled. “He was nervous?”

“Terrified.” _Sirius_ confirmed. “I ended up giving him a shot of firewhiskey-laced tea. Jen told me in no uncertain terms that I’d better have enough to share with the rest of the class. But, yes, I distinctly remember Frank sniggering at us from the next room, and inviting us all in to see Neville while we were waiting.”

Everyone wished Neville a belated happy birthday and James continued reading.

**What would they say if he wrote to them and told them about his scar hurting?**

**At once, Hermione Granger’s voice filled his head, shrill and panicky.**

“Excuse me?” Hermione raised an eyebrow.

“I mean that in a nice way.” Harry smiled weakly. “You know, you always look after me and worry about me. That’s what I meant.”

“Whatever.” Hermione huffed, but she was smiling.

**_“Your scar hurt? Harry, that’s really serious … Write to Professor Dumbledore! And I’ll go and check_ ** **Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions _… Maybe there’s something in there about curse scars …”_**

Hermione smile turned to laughter. “You know me too well, Harry.”

**Yes, that would be Hermione’s advice: go straight to the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and in the meantime, consult a book. Harry stared out of the window at the inky, blue-black sky. He doubted very much whether a book could help him now.**

“Honestly so do I.” Hermione frowned. “But you’re the only person to survive a curse like that, so I doubt I’d have suggested _Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions_. How did you think of that book anyway?”

Harry shrugged. “Read it in second year. Wanted to learn how to mend broken bones – didn’t want another Lockhart disaster.”

“Harry, you can’t mend your own bones.” Hermione told him.

“I know now.” Harry rolled his eyes. “I did read the book.”

**As far as he knew, he was the only living person to have survived a curse like Voldemort’s; it was highly unlikely, therefore, that he would find his symptoms listed in _Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions_. As for informing the Headmaster, Harry had no idea where Dumbledore went during the summer holidays. He amused himself for a moment, picturing Dumbledore, with his long silver beard, full-length wizard’s robes and pointed hat, stretched out on a beach somewhere, rubbing suntan lotion into his long crooked nose.**

Sirius laughed. “I love your imagination, Harry.”

**Wherever Dumbledore was, though Harry was sure Hedwig would be able to find him …**

“Hedwig can find anyone anywhere.” Harry said proudly.

**… Harry’s owl – his _other_ ally, this time of the feathered variety – had never yet failed to a letter to anyone, even without an address. But what would he write?**

**_Dear Professor Dumbledore, Sorry to bother you, but my scar hurt this morning. Yours sincerely, Harry Potter._ **

Jen rolled her eyes. “You have to write to someone, Harry, but I hope you’re a little more detailed than that.”

Harry laughed. Again, he couldn’t help feeling that she reminded him of someone. Not physically – although she did remind him of _Sirius_ (being his sister would do that though) – but there was something else … her sense of humour, the way she held herself … it wasn’t exactly the same, but he knew it was familiar …

**Even inside his head the words sounded stupid.**

**And so he tried to imagine his other best friend Ron Weasley’s reaction, and in a moment, Ron’s long-nosed, freckled face seemed to swim before Harry, wearing a bemused expression.**

**_“Your scar hurt? But … but You-Know-Who can’t be near you now, can he? I mean … you’d know, wouldn’t you?_ **

“Probably.” Harry agreed sarcastically. “He’d be trying to do me in for one.”

“Harry, you do realise that not only are you talking to a book, but you’re talking to your own imagination.” Fred smirked.

Harry flushed. “Shut up.”

**_He’d be trying to do you in again, wouldn’t he?_ **

“So, Harry, did you remember or do you and Ron just think alike?” Ginny teased, dodging with a laugh as he poked her side.

**_I dunno, Harry, maybe curse scars always twinge a bit … I’ll ask Dad …”_ **

**Mr Weasley was a fully qualified wizard who worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, but he didn’t have any particular expertise in the matter of curses, as far as Harry knew.**

“No, Dad has quite a bit of experience.” Fred told him. “The curses some people put on Muggle stuff – it’s unbelievable. Don’t know how much help he’d be with a curse scar though.”

**In any case, Harry didn’t like the idea of the whole Weasley family knowing that he, Harry, was getting jumpy about a few moments’ pain. Mrs Weasley would fuss worse than Hermione, and Fred and George, Ron’s sixteen-year-old twin brothers, might think Harry was losing his nerve.**

Fred smacked Harry upside the head. “Don’t be a berk, Harry. If you’d just explain _why_ it’s concerning – you’re our _brother_ , why would we think that?”

**The Weasleys were Harry’s favourite family in the world …**

Fred and Ginny cheered.

**… he was hoping that they might invite him to stay any time now (Ron had mentioned something about the Quidditch World Cup), and he somehow didn’t want his visit punctuated with anxious enquiries about his scar.**

This time, it was Ginny who smacked him. “Prat.” She muttered.

**Harry kneaded his forehead with his knuckles. What he really wanted (and it felt almost shameful to admit it to himself) was someone like – someone like a _parent_ …**

“Harry, you shouldn’t be ashamed of that.” Lily said quietly. “Everyone has the right to a parent.”  
“James is seventeen now, he still comes to me for advice.” David agreed.

**… an adult wizard whose advice he could ask without feeling stupid, someone who cared about him, who had experience of Dark Magic …**

“Should I be insulted that it’s taking you so long?” _Sirius_ asked lightly.

Harry chuckled. “No, I’m not good when I’ve just woken up.”

**He could – and probably would – talk to Jessica about the dream at some point. Jess had strange dreams of her own, knew his experiences with Voldemort, and could be counted on to deliver some comfort, without being overly stifling.**

“I’ll give you that about Mum.” Fred conceded. “She wouldn’t have let you breathe.”

**However, she was a Muggle and had never encountered Dark Magic …**

**And then the solution came to him. It was so simple, and so obvious, that he couldn’t believe it had taken so long – _Sirius_.**

“Took you long enough.” _Sirius_ muttered good-naturedly.

**Harry leapt up from the bed, hurried across the room and sat down at his desk; he pulled a piece of parchment towards him, loaded his eagle-feather quill with ink, wrote _Dear Sirius,_ then paused, wondering how best to phrase his problem, and still marvelling at the fact that he hadn’t thought of Sirius straight away. But then, perhaps it wasn’t so surprising – after all, he had only found out that Sirius was his godfather two months ago.**

“He’s got a point.” _Addie_ noted.

**There was a simple reason for Sirius’s complete absence from Harry’s life until then …**

“Oh, here we go.” _Sirius_ sighed.

**… Sirius had been in Azkaban, the terrifying wizard gaol guarded by creatures called Dementors, sightless, soul-sucking fiends who had come to search for Sirius at Hogwarts when he had escaped.**

“See, I’m not the only one who can bring down a mood.” Hermione smirked.

**Yet Sirius had been innocent – the murders for which he had been convicted had been committed by Wormtail, Voldemort’s supporter, whom nearly everybody now believed dead. Harry, Ron and Hermione knew otherwise, however; they had come face to face with Wormtail the previous year, though only Professor Dumbledore believed their story.**

“But did nothing.” Jen scowled.

**Nevertheless, Sirius had been of some help to Harry, even if he couldn’t be with him. It was due to Sirius that Harry now had all his school things in his bedroom with him. The Dursleys had never allowed this before; their general wish of keeping Harry as miserable as possible …**

Lily frowned, but said nothing, settling for squeezing Harry’s hand.

**… coupled with their fear of his powers, had led them to lock his school trunk in the cupboard under the stairs every summer prior to this. But their attitude had changed since they had found out that Harry had a dangerous murderer for a godfather – Harry had conveniently forgotten to tell them that Sirius was innocent.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Harry had received two letters from Sirius since he had been back at Privet Drive. Both had been delivered, not by owls (as was usual with wizards) but by large, brightly coloured tropical birds. Hedwig had not approved of these flashy intruders; she had been most reluctant to allow them to drink from her water tray before flying off again. Harry, on the other hand, had liked them; they put him in mind of palm trees and white sand, and he hoped that wherever Sirius was (Sirius never said, in case the letters were intercepted) he was enjoying himself.**

_Addie_ chuckled. “Sneaky.”

“What?” Harry asked, obliviously.

 _Addie_ smiled at him. “Your godfather, Harry, is rather gifted in the art of misdirection. Even if he was somewhere tropical, they still use owls. He used those birds to distract you from the fact that he was still on the run. And it worked, didn’t it?”

 _Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “Give away all my tricks, why don’t you?”

**Somehow, Harry found it hard to imagine Dementors surviving for long in bright sunlight; perhaps that was why Sirius had gone south. Sirius’s letters, which were now hidden beneath the highly useful loose floorboard under Harry’s bed, sounded cheerful, and in both of them he had reminded Harry to call on him if Harry ever needed to. Well, he needed to now, all right …**

Hermione nudged him. “About time you actually asked for help.”

**Harry’s lamp seemed to grow dimmer as the cold grey light that precedes sunrise slowly crept into the room. Finally, when the sun had risen, when his bedroom walls had turned gold and when sounds of movement could be heard from Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia’s room, Harry cleared his desk of crumpled pieces of parchment, and re-read his finished letter.**

**_Dear Sirius,_ **

**_Thanks for your last letter, that bird was enormous, it could hardly get through my window._ **

**_Things are the same as usual here. Dudley’s diet isn’t going too well._ **

“Well, it’s about time!” Lily stated. “Wait, she’s not making you follow it as well, is she?” She added, eyeing Harry. “You’re already skinny enough as it is!”  
Harry shrugged. “Why do you think I asked for food?”

**_My aunt found him smuggling doughnuts into his room yesterday. They told him they’d have to cut his pocket money if he keeps doing it, so he got really angry and chucked his PlayStation out of the window._ **

“PlayStation?” James repeated.

Lily frowned. “No idea. Harry?”

“It’s a computer thing that you hook up to a television and you can play games on it.” Harry explained. “Difficult to explain without one in front of me.

**_That’s a sort of computer thing you can play games on. Bit stupid really, now he hasn’t even got_ ** **Mega-Mutilation Part Three _to take his mind off things._**

“Well, Dudley’s never been intelligent.” Harry sniggered.

Lily looked disapproving. “That sounds like a horrible game for a fourteen-year-old.”  
“Yeah, it’s aimed at older teens and adults.” Harry agreed. “But Dudley wailed, so they caved.”

**_I’m okay, mainly because the Dursleys are terrified you might turn up and turn them into bats if I ask you to._ **

Sirius sniggered. “Just say the word, Harry.”

**_A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. Last time that happened it was because Voldemort was at Hogwarts. But I don’t reckon he can be anywhere near me now, can he? Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterwards?_ **

**_I’ll send this …_ **

“Hang on.” Jen frowned. “What about the dream?”

Harry blushed and muttered something under his breath.

**_… with Hedwig when she gets back, she’s off hunting at the moment. Say hello to Buckbeak for me._ **

“Sweet of you to remember.” Lily smiled.

**_Harry_ **

**Yes, thought Harry, that looked all right. There was no point putting in the dream, he didn’t want it to look as though he was too worried.**

_Sirius_ sighed. “Harry, things like that are important. Very important.”

Harry nodded. “Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologise.” _Sirius_ told him quietly. “Just trust me in future, alright?”

**He folded the parchment up and laid it aside on his desk, ready for when Hedwig returned. Then he got to his feet, stretched and opened his wardrobe once more. Without glancing at his reflection …**

“Nothing like Jamie then.” Alice sniggered.

James rolled his eyes. “Allie, don’t call me that.”

“I’m allowed to call you that, you’re my god-brother.” Alice smirked. “So there.”

**… he started to get dressed before going down to breakfast.**

“And that’s the end of the chapter.” James finished, marking his place.


	7. Chapter Five - The Invitation

Lily took the book without a word and turned it to the next page.

**Chapter Five**

**The Invitation**

James perked up. “To the World Cup?”  
“Maybe.” Harry grinned.

**By the time Harry arrived in the kitchen, the three Dursleys were already seated around the table. None of them looked up as he entered or sat down. Uncle Vernon’s large red face was hidden behind the morning’s _Daily Mail_ …**

“Of course they read the _Daily Mail._ ” Hermione muttered.

“Isn’t there only one paper?” Narcissa asked curiously.

Hermione shook her head. “No, it’s not like the wizarding world. There are many different papers, some that come out every day and some that only come out on Sundays or the weekend. But they all have different political stands, which affect how they approach stories. While not the worst, the _Daily Mail_ tends to be a little more right-wing and, well, racist for want of a better word.”

“For example,” Harry added, “say a shopkeeper is robbed and injured in the process. One paper might have a headline like ‘shopkeeper injured in robbery’, whereas the _Mail_ is more like to say ‘illegal immigrant in callous attack’.”

Hermione sniggered. “Yeah, that’s about right. Because, of course, no one else _ever_ does anything illegal. It just doesn’t surprise me that someone like Vernon reads it, that’s all.”

**… and Aunt Petunia was cutting a grapefruit into quarters, her lips pursed over her horse-like teeth.**

**Dudley looked furious and sulky, and somehow seemed to be taking up eve more space than usual. This was saying something, as he always took up an entire side of the square table by himself.**

Lily shuddered. “Poor kid.”

James gave her an incredulous look. “Lil, are you kidding me?”

“Bully or not, he is still my nephew.” Lily said sternly. “And it’s not entirely his fault – if Petunia didn’t baby him and spoil him, they wouldn’t be having this problem.”

**When Aunt Petunia put a quarter of unsweetened grapefruit onto Dudley’s plate with a tremulous “There you are, Diddy darling”, Dudley glowered at her. His life had taken a most unpleasant turn since he had come home for the summer with his end-of-year report.**

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had managed to find excuses for his bad marks as usual; Aunt Petunia always insisted that Dudley was a very gifted boy whose teachers didn’t understand him, which Uncle Vernon maintained that ‘he didn’t want some swotty little nancy boy for a son anyway’.**

“Sounds like they’re contradicting themselves.” Arabella commented.

**They also skated over the accusations of bullying in the report – “He’s a boisterous little boy, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly!” said Aunt Petunia tearfully.**

“Well, he wouldn’t.” Harry agreed to general confusion. “Flies are too fast for him to catch.”

**However, at the bottom of the report there were a few well-chosen comments from the school nurse which not even Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia could explain away. No matter how much Aunt Petunia wailed that Dudley was big-boned, and that his poundage was really puppy-fat, and that he was a growing boy who needed plenty of food, the fact remained that the school outfitters didn’t stock knickerbockers big enough for him any more.**

“Sweet Merlin!” Narcissa gasped. “Who on earth lets their child get that big?!”

“Aunt Petunia.” Harry answered flatly.

**The school nurse had seen what Aunt Petunia’s eyes – so sharp when it came to spotting fingerprints on her gleaming walls, and in observing the comings and goings of the neighbours – simply refused to see: that, far from needing extra nourishment, Dudley had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale.**

Lily looked ill. “Oh, Petunia, what are you doing? I know you hate me and my son, but why do you insist on driving your own into an early grave?!”

Ginny grimaced. “Mum loves feeding us all, but she’d never let us get that big.”

“I don’t think you could.” Hermione commented. “You’ve all got amazing metabolism. I mean, Ron never stops eating, but he’s still skinny.”

**So – after many tantrums, after arguments that shook Harry’s bedroom floor, and many tears from Aunt Petunia – the new regime had begun. The diet sheet that had been sent by the Smeltings school nurse had been taped to the fridge, which had been emptied of all of Dudley’s favourite things – fizzy drinks and cakes, chocolate bars and burgers – and filled instead with fruit and vegetables and the sorts of things that Uncle Vernon called ‘rabbit food’.**

David frowned. “No wonder the son’s a nightmare – it’s inherited behaviour.”

**To make Dudley feel better about it all, Aunt Petunia had insisted that the whole family follow the diet too. She now passed a grapefruit quarter to Harry. He noticed that it was a lot smaller than Dudley’s.**

Lily narrowed her eyes. “ _My son_ is not the one who needs to lose weight, Petunia!”

**Aunt Petunia seemed to feel that the best way to keep up Dudley’s morale was to make sure that he did, at least, get more to eat than Harry.**

Addie looked worried. “That’s not good. At least before ‘less’ was still quite a lot.”

**But Aunt Petunia didn’t know what was hidden under the loose floorboard upstairs. She had no idea that Harry was not following the diet at all.**

James grinned. “Atta boy, Harry.”

Lily sighed. “James …”

“What?” James asked innocently. “Aren’t you glad Harry’s not starving?”

The same thought seemed to have occurred to Lily and she settled for glaring at James and continuing to read without another word.

**The moment he had got wind of the fact that he was expected to survive the summer on carrot sticks, and knowing that he couldn’t get away with relying on Jess for more than one meal a day …**

“I’m sure you could.” Jen commented. “I doubt she’d begrudge you the food.”  
Harry shook his head. “She wouldn’t. But she has to put up with them for the rest of the year.”

**… Harry had sent Hedwig to his friends with pleas for help, and they had risen to the occasion magnificently.**

Lily beamed at them.

**Hedwig had returned from Hermione’s house with a large box stuffed full of sugar-free snacks (Hermione’s parents were dentists) and several ever-warm flasks of home-made soups and casseroles.**

“They were lovely.” Harry remembered with a smile.

**Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, had obliged with a snack full of his own home-made rock cakes …**

“Why did you write to Hagrid?” Hermione asked in bewilderment. “Hagrid can’t cook!”

“I wasn’t thinking straight.” Harry admitted sheepishly.

**… (Harry hadn’t touched them; he had had too much experience of Hagrid’s cooking). Mrs Weasley, however, had sent the family owl, Errol, with an enormous fruitcake and assorted pasties. Poor Errol, who was elderly and feebly, had needed a full five days to recover from the journey.**

“She should have borrowed Hermes.” Ginny chuckled.

“What? And leave Percy without an owl for his ‘very important work’?” Fred gasped. “Perish the thought!”

**And then on Harry’s birthday (which the Dursleys completely ignored) …**

Lily scowled, but didn’t interrupt herself.

**… he had received four superb birthday cakes, one each from Ron, Hermione, Hagrid and Sirius.**

“Sirius,” _Addie_ sighed, “where’d you get the cake?”

“I had a wand now, remember?” _Sirius_ grinned. “I was able to apply a glamour charm and get into Muggle shops.”

“That was risky.” _Addie_ frowned.

“Not that risky.” _Sirius_ assured her. “News of my escape never broke in South America. I kept to solely Muggle places just in case. I’ve got an account out there anyway, so money wasn’t an issue.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’d been planning for a prison break.” Hermione smirked.

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “You got me.”

**Harry still had two of them left, and so, looking forward to a real breakfast when he got back upstairs, he started eating his grapefruit without complaint.**

“Harry, birthday cake is not a real breakfast.” Lily told him.

“Mum, I don’t think you quite appreciate how small this piece of grapefruit was.” Harry sighed. “It was barely two mouthfuls.”

“Eat the cake.” Lily told him.

**Uncle Vernon laid aside his paper with a deep sniff of disapproval and looked down at his own grapefruit quarter.**

**“Is this it?” he said grumpily to Aunt Petunia.**

“Well, you could do with losing some weight too, you fat lump.” Mandy hissed.

**Aunt Petunia gave him a severe look, and then nodded pointedly at Dudley, who had already finished his own grapefruit quarter, and was eyeing Harry’s with a very sour look in his piggy little eyes.**

“Don’t you dare.” James growled.

**Uncle Vernon gave a great sigh which ruffled his large, bushy moustache, and picked up his spoon.**

**The doorbell rang. Uncle Vernon heaved himself out of his chair and set off down the hall. Quick as a flash, while his mother was occupied with the kettle, Dudley stole the rest of Uncle Vernon’s grapefruit.**

“Brat.” Alice muttered.

**Harry heard talking at the door, and someone laughing, and Uncle Vernon answering curtly. Then the front door closed, and the sound of ripping paper came from the hall.**

“That’s odd.” Hermione frowned. “That sounds like a delivery, but most things wrapped in paper come through the letter box – there’s no need to ring the doorbell.”

**Aunt Petunia set the teapot down on the table and looked curiously around to see where Uncle Vernon had got to. She didn’t have to wait long to find out; after about a minute, he was back. He looked livid.**

“Oh, that’s not good.” Ginny murmured.

**“You,” he barked at Harry. “In the living room. Now.”**

**Bewildered, wondering what on earth he was supposed to have done this time …**

“Do they blame you for a lot?” James asked sharply.

Harry nodded. “Anything and everything they can think of.”

**… Harry got up and followed Uncle Vernon out of the kitchen and into the next room. Uncle Vernon closed the door sharply behind both of them.**

**“So,” he said, marching over to the fireplace and turning to face Harry as though he was about to pronounce him under arrest. “ _So._ ”**

“So what?” James asked darkly.

Lily chuckled.

**Harry would dearly loved to have said “So what?” …**

Sirius smirked. “There’s your father’s wit.”

**… but he didn’t feel that Uncle Vernon’s temper should be tested this early in the morning …**

“And your mother’s intelligence.” Jen added.

**… especially when it was already under severe strain from lack of food. He therefore settled for looking politely puzzled.**

“Good boy.” Lily approved, pausing. “I’m glad you learnt _some_ manners in that house.”

**This just arrived,” said Uncle Vernon. He brandished a piece of purple writing paper at Harry. “A letter. About you.”**

“Oh, it’s from Mrs Weasley.” Hermione realised. “Although why he rang the …” She groaned. “Oh, I know what she did.”

**Harry’s confusion increased. Who would be writing to Uncle Vernon about him? Who did he know who sent letters by the postman?**

Hermione coughed.

“You’ve never sent letters that way.” Harry pointed out.

“That’s because you’ve got a very smart owl who shows up when she’s needed.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “I do, however, send general letters by the post.”

**Uncle Vernon glared at Harry, then looked down at the letter, and began to read aloud:**

**_Dear Mr and Mrs Dursley,_ **

**_We have never been introduced, but I am sure you have heard a great deal from Harry about my son Ron._ **

**_As Harry might have told you, the final of the Quidditch World Cup takes place next Monday night, and my husband, Arthur, has managed to get prime tickets through his connections at the Department of Magical Games and Sports._ **

“It still amazes me that Uncle Vernon read the letter aloud without having a heart attack.” Harry commented.

**_I do hope you will allow us to take Harry to the match, as this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity …_ **

“Yeah, it is.” James agreed. “They’d better let him go.”

Fred sniggered. “We weren’t going to take no for an answer. This was just a formality.” ** _  
…Britain hasn’t hosted the Cup for thirty years and tickets are extremely hard to come by. We would of course be glad to have Harry to stay for the remainder of the summer holidays, and to see him safely onto the train back to school._**

**_It would be best for Harry to send us your answer as quickly as possible in the normal way …_ **

“They won’t like that.” Arabella predicted.

**_… because the Muggle postman has never delivered to our house, and I am not sure he even knows where it is._ **

**_Hoping to see Harry soon,_ **

**_Yours sincerely,_ **

**_Molly Weasley_ **

**_P.S. I do hope we’ve put enough stamps on._ **

Hermione sighed. “I knew I should have helped her.”

**Uncle Vernon finished reading, out his hand back into his breast pocket, and drew out something else.**

**“Look at this,” he growled.**

**He held up the envelope in which Mrs Weasley’s letter had come, and harry had to fight down a laugh. Every bit of it was covered in stamps except for a square inch on the front, into which Mrs Weasley had squeezed the Dursleys’ address in minute writing.**

Hermione and Lily laughed. “Oh dear.” Lily giggled. “No wonder the postman rang the doorbell.”

“What is a stamp?” Regulus asked.

“Well, in the Muggle world, we don’t use owls.” Hermione explained. “We have post boxes where we drop off our letters and then a man – or woman – comes and collects them. Then they’re taken to the post office, sorted into areas and delivered by other postmen, or postwomen.”

“Like if you hire an owl in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, you need to pay a small fee to deliver the letter.” Lily continued. “But because you don’t hand the letter to the post office yourself, you put a stamp – which is a small sticky square of paper with a picture on it – on the envelope to prove that you’ve paid.”

“So you only need one stamp per letter then.” Regulus concluded.

Lily nodded. “Exactly.”

**“She did put enough stamps on then,” said Harry, trying to sound as though Mrs Weasley’s was a mistake anyone could make.**

“Well, it is.” James said fairly. “I’m willing to bet most of us would have made it.”

**His uncle’s eyes flashed.**

**“The postman noticed,” he said through gritted teeth. “Very interested to know where this letter came from, he was. That’s why he rang the doorbell. Seemed to think it was _funny._ ”**

“Then laugh it off as a practical joke.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “It’s not difficult.” **  
Harry didn’t say anything. Other people might not understand why Uncle Vernon was making a fuss about too many stamps, but Harry had lived with the Dursleys too long not to know how touchy they were about anything even slightly out of the ordinary. Their worst fear was that anyone would find out that they were connected (however distantly) with people like Mrs Weasley.**

Regulus snorted under his breath, but didn’t comment.

**Uncle Vernon was still glaring at Harry, who tried to keep his expression neutral. If he didn’t do or say anything stupid, he might just be in for the treat of a lifetime.**

“Oh, you’re going.” Sirius stated darkly. “Just tell him I’ll turn him into a yak or something.”

“A yak?” Addie questioned. “Why not a walrus?”

“Too easy.” Sirius dismissed. “I like a challenge.”

**He waited for Uncle Vernon to say something, but he merely continued to glare. Harry decided to break the silence.**

**“So – can I go, then?” he asked.**

**A slight spasm crossed Uncle Vernon’s large, purple face. The moustache bristled. Harry thought he knew what was going on behind the moustache: a furious battle as two of Uncle Vernon’s most fundamental instincts came into conflict. Allowing Harry to go would make Harry happy, something Uncle Vernon had struggled against for thirteen years.**

Lily’s voice became slightly cold as she tried to control her anger at her ‘family’.

**On the other hand, allowing Harry to disappear to the Weasleys’ for the rest of the summer would get rid of him two weeks earlier than anyone could have hoped, and Uncle Vernon hated having Harry in the house. To give himself thinking time, it seemed, he looked down at Mrs Weasley’s letter again.**

**“Who is this woman?” he said, staring at the signature with distaste.**

“Our mother.” Fred scowled. “So watch it.”

**“You’ve seen her,” said Harry. “She’s my friend Ron’s mother, she was meeting him off the Hog – off the school train at the end of last term.”**

“Well saved.” Hermione commented.

**He had almost said ‘Hogwarts Express’, and that was a sure way to get his uncle’s temper up. Nobody ever mentioned the name of Harry’s school aloud in the Dursley household.**

**Uncle Vernon screwed up his enormous face as though trying to remember something very unpleasant.**

**“Dumpy sort of woman?” he growled finally.**

“Excuse me?” Ginny asked icily. “Have you looked at your son recently?”

**“Load of children with red hair?”**

**Harry frowned. He thought it was a bit rich of Uncle Vernon to call anyone ‘dumpy’ …**

“Exactly.” Ginny agreed.

**… when his own son, Dudley, had finally achieved what he’d been threatening to do since the age of three, and become wider than he was tall.**

Lily paused again and closed her eyes as if praying for strength, before carrying on.

**Uncle Vernon was perusing the letter again.**

**“Quidditch,” he muttered under his breath. “ _Quidditch_ – what is this rubbish?”**

“It’s not …”

“ _Silencio_.” A jet of light hit James and Lily tucked her wand away. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I’d like to get through this chapter _today_ , which I can’t do if you’re ranting about Quidditch.”

**Harry felt a second stab of annoyance.**

James began waving his arms, evidently in agreement.

**“It’s a sport,” he said shortly. “Played on broom …”  
“All right, all right!” said Uncle Vernon loudly. Harry saw, with some satisfaction, that his uncle looked vaguely panicky. Apparently his nerves wouldn’t stand the sound of the word ‘broomsticks’ in his living room.**

“Muggles use broomsticks too, you know.” Hermione rolled her eyes again. “Just for sweeping rather than flying.”

**He took refuge in perusing the letter again. Harry saw his lips form the words ‘send us your answer in the normal way’. He scowled.**

**“What does she mean, _the normal way_?” he spat.**

“Owl post.” Sirius answered, taking pity on James. “ _Finite Incantatem.”_

“Thanks.” James turned to Lily. “I wouldn’t have ranted for that long. But Quidditch is _not_ rubbish.”

“We know, dear.” Lily smiled.

**“Normal for us,” said Harry, and before his uncle could stop him, he added, “you know, owl post. That’s what’s normal for wizards.”**

**Uncle Vernon looked as outraged as if Harry had just uttered a disgusting swearword. Shaking with anger, he shot a nervy look through the window, as though expecting to see some of the neighbours with their ears pressed against the glass.**

“Yes, because they’re all that obsessed with you.” Hermione shook her head. “These people are unbelievable.”

**“How many times do I have to tell you not to mention that unnaturalness under my roof?” he hissed, his face now a rich plum colour. “You stand there, in the clothes Petunia and I have put on your ungrateful back –”**

**“Only after Dudley finished with them,” said Harry coldly, and indeed, he was dressed in a sweatshirt so large for him that he had to roll back the sleeves five times so as to be able to use his hands, and which fell past the knees of his extremely baggy jeans.**

“We’re taking you shopping.” Ginny informed him. “Right, Hermione?”

“Run for it.” _Sirius_ advised him in an undertone. “ _I’ll_ take you shopping later, but you do _not_ want to get into that torture. Trust me.”

**“I will not be spoken to like that!” said Uncle Vernon, trembling with rage.**

**But Harry wasn’t going to stand for this.**

“Go Harry!” Fred and Ginny cheered.

“You know, Gin, you make quite a good Weasley-twin stand-in.” Hermione commented.

“I’ve had practice.” Ginny smirked.

**Gone were the days when he had been forced to take every single one of the Dursleys’ stupid rules. He wasn’t following Dudley’s diet, and he wasn’t going to let Uncle Vernon stop him going to the Quidditch World Cup, not if he could help it.**

**Harry took a deep, steadying breath and then said, “OK, I can’t see the World Cup. Can I go now, then? Only I’ve got a letter to Sirius I want to finish. You know – my godfather.”**

“Nicely done.” Hermione smiled.

**He had done it. He had said that magic words. Now he watched the purple recede blotchily from Uncle Vernon’s face, making it look like badly mixed blackcurrant ice-cream.**

Remus wrinkled his nose. “Well, that’s me put-off blackcurrant ice-cream for life.”

Jen chuckled. “But you always pick chocolate ice-cream anyway.”

“Good point.” Remus conceded.

**“You’re – you’re writing to him, are you?” said Uncle Vernon, in a would-be calm voice – but Harry had seen the pupils of his tiny eyes contract with sudden fear.**

_Sirius_ smirked. “Good.”

**“Well – year,” said Harry, casually. “It’s been a while since he heard from me, and, you know, if he doesn’t, he might start thinking something’s wrong.”**

“Damn right I would.” _Sirius_ agreed. **  
He stopped there to enjoy the effect of these words.**

“You’ve got a dark sense of humour, Potter.” Draco sniggered.

“Wouldn’t you?” Harry asked in response.

**He could almost see the cogs working under Uncle Vernon’s thick, dark, neatly parted hair. If he tried to stop Harry writing to Sirius, Sirius would think Harry was being mistreated. If he told Harry he couldn’t go to the Quidditch World Cup, Harry would write and tell Sirius, who would _know_ he was being mistreated. There was only one thing for Uncle Vernon to do. Harry could see the conclusion forming in his mind as though the great moustached face was transparent. Harry tried not to smile, to keep his face as blank as possible. And then –**

**“Well, all right then. You can go to this ruddy … this stupid … this World Cup thing.**

James and Sirius cheered, ignoring the slight against their beloved sport.

**You write and tell these – these _Weasleys_ they’re to pick you up, mind.**

“Oh, we will.” Fred smirked.

**I haven’t got time to go dropping you off all over the country. And you can spend the rest of the summer there. And you can tell your – your godfather … tell him … tell him you’re going.”  
“OK then,” said Harry brightly.**

**He turned and walked towards the living-room door, fighting the urge to jump into the air and whoop. He was going … he was going to the Weasleys’, he was going to watch the Quidditch World Cup!**

“You lucky thing.” James grinned. “Wish we’d had the chance to go.”

“We did.” _Sirius_ smirked. “The final was in France the year we graduated. Can’t remember how we got tickets, but we all got an international portkey to Calais and travelled by broom the rest of the way. Well,” he glanced at _Addie_ , “not all of us.”

 _Addie_ squeezed his hand. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

“I don’t really remember much of it.” _Sirius_ confessed.

“Dementors?” Jen asked softly.

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “No, firewhiskey.”

**Outside in the hall he nearly ran into Dudley, who had been lurking behind the door, clearly hoping to overhear Harry being told off. He looked shocked to see the broad grin on Harry’s face.**

“Serves him right.” Neville scowled. He hated bullies.

**“That was an _excellent_ breakfast, wasn’t it?” said Harry. “I feel really full, don’t you?”**

“Now, Harry,” Lily chided. “Don’t antagonise him.”

“But, Mum,” Harry said innocently, “Dudley’s so stupid he wouldn’t realise.”

**Laughing at the astonished look on Dudley’s face, Harry took the stairs three at a time, and hurled himself back into his bedroom.**

**The first thing he saw was that Hedwig was back. She was sitting in her cage, staring at Harry with her enormous amber, and clicking her beak in the way that meant she was annoyed about something.**

“Could be anything.” Fred chuckled. “Harry has a very temperamental owl.”

**Exactly what was annoying her became apparent almost at once.**

**“OUCH!” said Harry.**

**What appeared to be a small, grey, feathery tennis ball had just collided with the side of Harry’s head.**

“Pig.” Hermione, Ginny and Fred concluded together.

**Harry massaged his head furiously, looking up to see what had hit him, and saw a minute owl, small enough to fit into the palm of his hand, whizzing excitedly around the room like a loose firework.**

“That’s the Pig Thing.” Hermione smiled.

**Harry then realised that the owl had dropped a letter at his feet. Harry bent down, recognised Ron’s handwriting, then tore open the envelope. Inside was a hastily scribbled note.**

**_Harry – DAD GOT THE TICKETS – Ireland versus Bulgaria, Monday night. Mum’s writing to the Muggles to ask you to stay. They might already have the letter, I don’t know how fast Muggle post is._ **

“Within a day or two usually.” Hermione answered the unasked questions. “Depending on how much you pay and how far it’s going.”

**_Thought I’d send this with Pig anyway._ **

**Harry stared at the word ‘Pig’, then looked up at the tiny owl now zooming around the lampshade on the ceiling. He had never seen anything that looked less like a pig. Maybe he couldn’t read Ron’s writing.**

Ginny chuckled.

**He went back to the letter:**

**_We’re coming to get you whether the Muggles like it or not, you can’t miss the World Cup, only Mum and Dad reckon it’s better if we pretend to ask permission first. If they say yes, send Pig back with your answer pronto, and we’ll come and get you at five o’clock on Sunday. If they say no, send Pig back pronto and we’ll come and get you at five o’clock on Sunday anyway._ **

“Why not just say ‘we’re coming at five o’clock on Sunday’?” Sirius asked.

Fred shrugged. “It’s Ron.”

**_Hermione’s already here. Percy’s started work – the Department of International Magical Co-operation. Don’t mention anything about Abroad while you’re here unless you want the pants bored off you._ **

**_See you soon – Ron_ **

**“Calm down!” Harry said, as the small owl flew low over his head, twittering madly with what Harry could only assume was pride at having delivered the letter to the right person.**

“No, just excitement about delivering a letter.” Ginny smirked.

 _Addie_ shook her head. “Only you, Sirius.”

**“Come here, I need you to take my answer back!”**

**The owl fluttered down on top of Hedwig’s cage. Hedwig looked coldly up at it, as though daring it to try and come any closer.**

**Harry seized his eagle-feather quill once more, grabbed a fresh piece of parchment, and wrote:**

**_Ron, it’s all OK, the Muggles say I can come. See you five o’clock tomorrow. Can’t wait._ **

**_Harry._ **

**He folded this note up very small and, with immense difficulty, tied it to the tiny owl’s leg as it hopped on the spot with excitement. The moment the note was secure, the owl was off again; it zoomed out of the window and out of sight.**

**Harry turned to Hedwig.**

“And now Hedwig’s going to act even more professional than usual just to prove to Harry how it _should_ be done.” Hermione predicted.

**“Feeling up to a long journey?” he asked her.**

**Hedwig hooted in a dignified sort of way.**

**“Can you take this to Sirius for me?” he said, picking up his letter. “Hang on … I just want to finish it.”**

**He unfolded the parchment again and hastily added a postscript.**

**_If you want to contact me, I’ll be at my friend Ron Weasley’s for the rest of the summer. His dad’s got us tickets for the Quidditch World Cup!_ **

“Buckbeak couldn’t understand your excitement.” _Sirius_ informed him. “I don’t think he’s a fan of Quidditch.”

“Sirius, he’s a hippogriff.” _Addie_ smirked. “Of course he’s not.”

**The letter finished, he tied it to Hedwig’s leg; she kept unusually still, as though determined to show him how a real post owl should behave.**

“Told you so.” Hermione sang.

**“I’ll be at Ron’s when you get back, all right?” Harry told her.**

**She nipped his finger affectionately, then, with a soft swooshing noise, spread her enormous wings and soared out of the open window.**

**Harry watched her out of sight, then crawled under his bed, wrenched up the loose floorboard, and pulled out a large chunk of birthday cake. He sat there on the floor eating it, savouring the happiness that was flooding through him.**

“A novel feeling.” Harry commented.

Lily sighed and grabbed his hand again.

**He had cake, and Dudley had nothing but grapefruit; it was a bright summer’s day, he would be leaving Privet Drive tomorrow, his scar felt perfectly normal again, and he was going to watch the Quidditch World Cup. It was hard, just now, to feel worried about anything – even Lord Voldemort.**

“Really, Harry?” Hermione asked in amusement.

“What can I say, Quidditch solves everything.” Harry joked.

“You are your father’s son.” Lily sighed. “Right, that’s the end of the chapter.


	8. Chapter Six - Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes

“I’ll read next, Mum.” Harry took the book she offered and turned to the next chapter. “Looks like we’re back to Hermione’s point of view.”

**Chapter Six**

**Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes**

Fred cheered.

“What are Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes?” James asked, looking amused.

“Didn’t we tell you?” Fred asked. “It’s the joke-shop George and I are planning to open.”

“You mentioned a shop, I think.” Jen told him. “But not a joke shop.”

Fred’s eyes lit up and Ginny groaned. “Now you’ve done it. Fred, just show them the snack-boxes and be done with it.”

Fred stood up and asked the room for a bucket. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the next generation. Don’t you just hate it when you’re stuck in class, unenthusiastic and unmotivated? Don’t you wish you could escape? Well, fear not, because we have a range of sweets on offer for just this purpose. Hermione, would you be so kind as to join me?”

“Oh dear.” Hermione sighed, getting to her feet. “Alright, but get on with it.”  
Fred pulled a small sweet from his pocket. “Allow me to present Puking Pastilles. In class, simply bite down on the yellow half and chew …” He demonstrated, handing the other half of the sweet to Hermione. After a few seconds, his face paled to a sickly green colour and he hunched over the bucket, emptying his stomach.

“Your co-conspirator,” Hermione continued, letting him suffer for a few minutes, “helps you from the room and aids you in eating the other half.” With difficulty, she pushed the purple half of the sweet into his mouth and helped him to chew it.

Again, within seconds, his complexion was back to normal and he straightened up, Vanishing the bucket. “And hey presto! It restores you to full fitness, enabling you to pursue the leisure activity of your choice, during an hour that would otherwise have been devoted to unprofitable boredom.”

“That was incredible.” Sirius said fervently. “You _invented_ those?”  
Fred nodded, sitting down again. “We’ve also got Nosebleed Nougat, Fainting Fancies and Fever Fudge.”

“However,” Ginny said, “the sweet in question this time was the Ton-Tongue Toffee, which …”

“Makes your tongue weigh a ton?” Jen guessed.

Fred nodded with a grin. “Get reading, Harry. I’m sure it’ll be explained.”

**During the last few weeks, Hermione had realised that Sirius had been right.**

“Always the tone of surprise.” _Sirius_ muttered with a smile.

**It wasn’t that she’d ever really doubted that, but blindly acting on the word of someone she’d only known for a few weeks wasn’t exactly a smart thing to do, even if that someone was your best friend’s godfather.**

“You really had no idea, did you?” Lily asked sadly.

Hermione shook her head. “Couldn’t remember it at all.”

**The Weasleys were the kind of family that anyone would want to belong to. Even when sibling arguments erupted – which they frequently did – it was always more fond bickering that full-blown rows.**

“Well, most of the time.” Ginny smirked at Fred, remembering the number of times her mother had screamed herself hoarse at the twins over that summer.

**After a couple of days, Ginny convinced Hermione to tell her brothers about her parents and all five – Percy had been at work and wasn’t really the kind of person you could tell something like this anyway – promptly adopted her as an honorary Weasley, just as they already had with Harry. Bill and Charlie then talked Hermione into telling their parents.**

“Good.” David turned to Sirius and Jen. “I don’t know why you didn’t tell anyone.”

“We did!” Sirius protested. “Mum and Dad know.”

“I meant me.” David elaborated. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

The twins shrugged in unison, their gazes fixed on the floor. Recognising their discomfort, James gave his father a look pleading for him to drop it, and gestured for Harry to start reading again.

**Like she thought, Molly immediately invited her to stay with them the following summer as well, despite Hermione’s insistence that she would find other arrangements.**

**On Sunday evening, the day before the World Cup, Arthur, Fred, George and Ron went to get Harry from the Dursleys via floo**

“Floo?” Lily repeated. “If I know my sister, they won’t have an open fireplace.”

Fred grinned. “They didn’t.”

**Hermione was sure the Dursleys wouldn’t have an open fireplace, but Arthur had gone to such trouble to get the house hooked up to the network she didn’t say anything.**

Fred flung his arms around Hermione, fake-sobbing about how proud he was.

**Besides, Harry’s aunt and uncle deserved to have people show up in their chimney and have to blast the living room apart …**

_Sirius_ grinned. “Yeah they do!”

**… which was _exactly_ what happened.**

James and Sirius burst out laughing, and Lily’s lips twitched traitorously. “What happened?”

“Well,” Harry began with a grin, “they were a _little_ late, so Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia …” He trailed off as another piece of paper appeared in his hands with a note. _Just read it._ He cleared his throat. “This will probably do a better job.”

**Ten past five … then a quarter past five … Harry was starting to feel anxious himself now. At half past, he heard Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia conversing in terse mutters in the living room.**

“Where were you?” Lily asked.

“In the hallway.” Harry answered. “I was expecting them to come through the front door and figured then we could get the whole thing done without too much interaction with Uncle Vernon.”

**“No consideration at all.”**

“After fifteen minutes?” Lily rolled her eyes. “Typical.”

**“We might’ve had an engagement.”  
“Maybe they think they’ll get invited to dinner if they’re late.”**

Fred snorted. “What? And miss out on Mum’s cooking? Not likely.”

**“Well, they most certainly won’t be,” said Uncle Vernon, and Harry heard him stand up and start pacing the living room. “They’ll take the boy …**

“He has a _name_!” Lily hissed.

**… and go, there’ll be no hanging around. That’s if they’re coming at all. Probably mistaken the day.**

“Hey!” Ginny protested. “We’re not _stupid._ We just had to wait for Dad to get home from work.”

**I daresay _their kind_ don’t set much store by punctuality. Either that or they drive some tinpot car that’s broken d-AAAAAARRRRGH!”**

James and Sirius burst out laughing again.

**Harry jumped up. From the other side of the living room door came the sounds of the three Dursleys scrambling, panic-stricken across the room. Next moment Dudley came flying into the hall, looking terrified.**

_Addie_ smirked. This kid needed to be taken down a few pegs.

**“What happened?” said Harry. “What’s the matter?”  
But Dudley didn’t seem able to speak. Hands still clamped over his buttocks …**

“Why?” Neville asked in bewilderment, as the rest of the room sank into laughter.

“When Hagrid came to tell Harry he was a wizard, Vernon made the mistake of insulting Dumbledore in front of him.” Hermione explained, having kept at least some of her composure. “He gave Dudley a pig’s tail.”

_Addie_ burst out laughing. “I knew I liked Hagrid for a reason!”

**… he waddled as fast as he could into the kitchen. Harry hurried into the living room.**

**Loud bangings and scrapings were coming from behind the Dursleys’ boarded-up fireplace …**

“Why was it boarded up?” Regulus asked, realising what the book had meant by an ‘open’ fireplace.

“Very few Muggles have open fires any more.” Hermione told him. “Coal’s too expensive and wood isn’t exactly high in supply. Most of them have fake fires that run on gas or electricity.”

**… which had a fake coal fire plugged in front of it.**

“Electricity in this case.” Hermione concluded.

**“What is it?” gasped Aunt Petunia, who had backed into the wall and was staring, terrified, towards the fire. “What is it, Vernon?”**

Lily rolled her eyes. “Oh, honestly! Our house is hooked up to the floo network – she’s seen me floo before! Hell, that’s probably why she made sure their house had a fake fireplace – just so I couldn’t drop in to visit like that.”

**But they were left in doubt barely a second longer. Voices could be heard from inside the blocked fireplace.**

**“Ouch! Fred, no – go back, go back, there’s been some kind of mistake …**

“No, really?” Remus asked with a snigger.

**… tell George not to – OUCH! George, no, there’s no room, go back quickly and tell Ron –”**

**“Maybe Harry can hear us, Dad – maybe he’ll be able to let us out –”**

“Good idea.” Mandy agreed, giggling.

**There was a loud hammering of fists on the boards behind the electric fire.**

**“Harry? Harry can you hear us?”**

**The Dursleys rounded on Harry like a pair of angry wolverines.**

“Hey!” Lily snapped, humour evaporating.

**“What is this?” growled Uncle Vernon. “What’s going on?”**

**“They – they’ve tried to get here by Floo powder,” said Harry, fighting a mad desire to laugh.**

The Marauders weren’t bothering.

**“They can travel by fire – only you’ve blocked the fireplace – hang on –”**

**He approached the fireplace and called through the boards.**

**“Mr Weasley? Can you hear me?”**

**The hammering stopped.**

“I’d take that as a yes.” Jen smirked.

**Somebody inside the chimney-piece said, “Shh!”**

**“Mr Weasley, it’s Harry … the fireplace has been blocked up. You won’t be able to get through there.”**

**“Damn!” said Mr Weasley’s voice. “What on earth did they want to block up the fireplace for?”**

“You should have lied.” Fred sighed. “We never shut Dad up.” **  
“They’ve got an electric fire,” Harry explained.**

**“Really?” said Mr Weasley’s voice excitedly. “Ecklectic, you say?**

Lily giggled. “It’s not that hard.”

**With a _plug_? Gracious, I must see that …**

“Good old Arthur.” James grinned fondly.

**… let’s think … ouch, Ron!”**

“I guess George didn’t go back.” Arabella chuckled.

Fred mock-gasped. “What? And miss all the fun? Of course not.”

**Ron’s voice now joined the others’.**

**“What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?”**

Sirius shook his head, his voice weak from laughter. “Oh, no, of course not. That’s where they wanted to go.”

**“Oh, no, Ron,” came Fred’s voice, very sarcastically. “No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up.”**

“Great minds.” Sirius stated, giving Fred a high five.

**“Yeah, we’re having the time of our lives here,” said George, whose voice sounded muffled, as though he was squashed against the wall.**

“He was.” Fred sniggered. “Although I’m slightly confused how you could tell us apart through plaster.”

Harry shrugged. “I couldn’t. I’m guessing the author used poetic license.”

**“Boys, boys …” said Mr Weasley vaguely. “I’m trying to think what to do … yes … only way … stand back, Harry.”**

“Don’t worry and stand back.” Hermione repeated with a smile. “Apparently, it’s hereditary.”

**Harry retreated to the sofa. Uncle Vernon, however, moved forwards.**

“Idiot.” Remus muttered.

**“Wait a moment!” he bellowed at the fire. “What exactly are you going to -?”**

**BANG.**

“Yes!” James and Sirius exchanged a high five.

**The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outwards, expelling Mr Weasley, Fred, George and Ron in a cloud of rubble and loose chippings. Aunt Petunia shrieked and fell backwards over the coffee table; Uncle Vernon caught her before she hit the floor and gaped, speechless, at the Weasleys, all of whom had bright red hair, including Fred and George, who were identical to the last freckle.**

Harry was reading through laughter, and nearly everyone else was shaking with amusement.

**“That’s better,” panted Mr Weasley, brushing dust from his long green robes and straightening his glasses. “Ah – you must be Harry’s aunt and uncle!”**

Harry put down the manuscript, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

Following his son’s example, James stood up and shook Fred’s hand heartily. “Thank you so much.”

“You are more than welcome, Mr. Prongs.” Fred grinned. “Anything for our littlest brother.”  
Harry grinned and picked up the book again. “Now where was I?”  
“Which was exactly what happened.” Hermione quoted.

“Oh, yes.” Harry found his place again. “Thank you.”  
 **Hermione and Ginny were just walking downstairs, discussing Ginny’s class choices for her third year …**

“What did you take?” Lily asked.

“Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures.” Ginny answered. “I’ve never been good with numbers, can’t stand Divination, and I’d learn more about Muggles from Hermione than Professor Burbage. Besides, Bill and Charlie influenced me. I just took their favourite classes.”

**… when Molly’s voice came floating out of the kitchen.**

**“Tell me what, Arthur?”**

“Uh oh.” James murmured with a smirk.

**“Uh oh.” Ginny muttered with a grin. “Dad’s going to get it.”**

**“What do you think happened?” Hermione asked.**

**“Well, Dad only ever threatens the twins with Mum.” Ginny reflected. “I bet they pranked Harry’s cousin.”**

“We did.” Fred confirmed.

“How?” Sirius asked eagerly.

“We ‘accidentally’ dropped a Ton-Tongue Toffee on our way to get Harry’s trunk.” Fred explained. “It was four foot long before they let Dad shrink it.”

Everyone roared with laughter, even the Slytherins smirked at the mental image.

**“So why is your father going to get it?” Hermione pressed.**

“Because ‘wait until I tell your mother’ is always an empty threat.” Jen answered simply.

**“Because when Dad says, “Wait until I tell your mother,” he never intends to tell her anything, so Mum will keep at him until he does.” Ginny explained. “We’d better go and rescue Ron and Harry.”**

“Thanks, Gin.” Harry grinned. “I wasn’t sure we wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire.”

**When they opened the kitchen door, Molly was glaring at her husband, who was stuttering excuses, Bill and Charlie were openly grinning, Fred and George looked worried and Ron and Harry seemed to be trying to fade into the background.**

“And failing.” Hermione added.

**The two girls smiled at Harry, who grinned back at them. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Ginny flush pink and elbowed her lightly.**

Ginny glared at Hermione, the effect ruined by the pinkness of her face. “Thanks a lot.”  
“I noticed, Sis.” Harry told her softly. “I just didn’t mention it.”

**“Tell me _what_ , Arthur?” Molly repeated.**

**“It’s nothing.” Arthur mumbled. “The twins just … but I’ve had words with them …”**

**“What have they done this time?” Molly asked in exasperation. “If it’s got anything to do with _Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes_ …”**

Fred sighed. “Mum doesn’t want the joke shop to happen. Says it’s a stupid dream and that we’ll never succeed.”

“Are you kidding?” James asked. “With those things you just demonstrated? You sell _just_ those and I guarantee you’ll make it. You two were born to do this.”

Fred perked up. “Really?”

Hermione poked the side of his head.

“What was that for?” Fred asked.

“A Marauder just complimented you.” Hermione shrugged. “I figured I’d deflate your head before you took off.”

Fred rolled his eyes and turned back to James. “You think so?”

“Hell, yeah!” James agreed. “You need a start-up, we can get you a start-up – Harry …” he trailed off. “You won’t be able to access the vaults, will you?”

“Not until he’s seventeen.” David shook his head. “Unless you gave him permission before you were attacked.”

“Permission?” Harry asked.

“You can’t enter a family vault without the Head of House unless they’ve given you permission.” _Sirius_ explained. “Not even if you’re the heir. It’s a bizarre rule, but there you go.”

“I did.” Hermione frowned.

“Well, that wasn’t the family vault.” _Sirius_ explained. “Even if it was, verbal permission counts. The family vaults don’t have keys.”

“Thanks guys.” Fred grinned. “But we’ve already got a start-up.”

Lily turned to Harry, who was staring at the ceiling. “Tell me you didn’t take the money from your trust vault.”

“I didn’t take the money from my trust-vault.” Harry told her.

“Then where’d you get it?” Lily asked.

Harry smiled weakly. “You’ll see.”

**“Ron, why don’t we show Harry where he’s staying?” Hermione suggested, sensing danger.**

**Ron looked confused. “In my room. He knows where that is; that’s where he stayed last time.”**

Ginny groaned. “Oh, Ron …”

**Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “We can all go.”**

**Ron’s eyes widened in understanding. “Right! Follow us, Harry!”**

**“Yeah, we’ll go too!” Fred added.**

“Like that’s going to work.” Remus chuckled.

Fred shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

**“You stay where you are!” Molly snapped.**

**Ducking away from the twins’ attempts to use them as human shields, Harry and Ron hurried out of the kitchen and the quartet made their way up to Ron’s attic room.**

**“What are _Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes_?” Harry asked.**

Fred sighed. “I’d forgotten there was a time when you were so uneducated.”

“Well, I don’t think anyone in Gryffindor can ask that now.” Neville commented. “Not after that little demonstration.”

Fred grinned at him. “Did we ever thank you for helping with that?”

“No, but then you didn’t tell me I was helping with it either.” Neville replied dryly.

**Ron and Ginny began laughing. Hermione’s mouth twitched, but she fought her own laugh back for the sake of appearances.**

Fred gasped and hugged her. “I knew you loved us!”

“Fred, get off!” Hermione protested.

**“Mum found a stack of order forms when she was cleaning the twins’ room last week.” Ron explained. “Price-lists for things they’ve invented; joke stuff. Fake wands …**

“Fake wands?” James questioned.

Hermione rooted around in her bag. “I think I’ve got one in here somewhere.”

“Here.” Fred took the bag from her and aimed his wand somewhere into it. “ _Accio_ fake wand!”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Why didn’t I think of that?”  
Fred handed James the wand. “Here.”

James examined it. “Just looks like a normal wand to me.”

“Yeah, but try to use it.” Fred smirked.

James gave it an experimental wave and burst out laughing when it turned into a rubber chicken. “Nice! Simple, but effective.”

**… trick sweets … loads of stuff. We’d been hearing explosions coming from their room for ages, but we never thought they were actually inventing things; we thought they just liked the noise.”**

Fred snorted. “Yeah, that’s what it was. Actually, some of it was that.”

**“I knew.” Ginny smirked. “Mind you, they hadn’t really tested properly and a lot of the stuff was, well, dangerous …**

“It’s not dangerous!” Fred protested.

“Not in theory, no, but none of it was tested yet, was it?” Ginny repeated. “So some of it was dangerous. Still is, actually. You two proved that when you tested the Fainting Fancies the other week and George didn’t wake up for six hours even with the antidote.”

**… and they were planning to sell it at Hogwarts …”**

“Not just at Hogwarts.” Fred corrected. “We just knew we should start small.”

**“Mum went mad at them.” Ron continued as they reached the first floor. “Told them they weren’t allowed to make any more and burnt all the order forms. She was furious with them anyway; they didn’t get as many OWLs as she expected.”**

“We got enough.”

**“And then there was this big row.” Ginny sighed. “Because Mum wants them to go into the Ministry of Magic like Dad and Percy and they told her that all they want to do is open a joke shop.”**

“She really needs to stop comparing you to your brothers.” Lily stated. “It’s not fair. I can’t see either of you behind a desk and you’d be really good at this.”

**“Mind you, Bill said your parents wanted him and Charlie to go into the Ministry too.” Hermione added. “And she’s fine with that now.”**

“No, she’s not.” Ginny shook her head. “She’s always going on about how Bill should get a job closer to home or how Charlie needs a safer job – things like that.”

**Before Harry could comment on that, Percy’s door flew open and his head poked out again, just as it had on the day Hermione had arrived.**

**“Hi, Percy.” Harry greeted.**

**“Oh, hello, Harry.” Percy frowned. “I was wondering who was making all the noise. I’m trying to work in here, you know – I've got a report to finish for the office – and it’s incredibly difficult to concentrate when people keep thundering up and down the stairs.”**

“Thundering?” Jen repeated. “Dramatic, isn’t he?”

**“We’re not _thundering_.” Ron rolled his eyes irritably. “We’re walking. Sorry if we’ve disturbed the Top Secret workings of the Ministry of Magic.”**

“Well, DMIC is a very important department.” David said fairly. “Although I doubt Percy was doing anything that important just yet.”

**“What are you working on?” Harry asked, obviously trying to sound interested.**

**Percy looked smug. “A report for the Department of International Magical Co-Operation. We’re trying to standardise cauldron thickness.**

“A good idea.” David conceded. “But it’s not too important as long as you buy British products.”

**Some of the foreign imports are just a shade too thin – leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three per cent a year …”**

“Merlin, does he ever shut up?” Sirius asked.

“No.” Fred answered in a dull voice. “Eventually, he just sort of fades into a dull buzz in the background.”

**“That’ll change the world; that report will.” Ron interrupted. “Front page of the _Daily Prophet_ , I expect, cauldron leaks.”**

The Marauders sniggered.

**Percy’s ears went slightly pink, just like Ron’s did when he was embarrassed.**

“Weasley curse.” Ginny sighed, running a hand through her vivid hair.

“No, the rest of you blush on your face.” Hermione told her. “It’s just Ron and Percy whose ears turn.”

**“You might sneer, Ron, but unless some kind of international law is imposed we may very well find our markets flooded with flimsy products that could well endanger …”**

**“Yeah, alright.” Ron began to walk off and Percy slammed the door.**

**As Harry followed Ron, Ginny smirked suddenly. “Three … two … one …”**

**Shouts from the kitchen echoed up to them …**

“Good timing.” Jen chuckled.

**… it sounded like Arthur had told his wife what had happened.**

**“Good timing, Gin.” Hermione complimented.**

Jen and Hermione exchanged a smile.

**They followed the boys up to Ron’s attic room, faintly hearing Ron explaining to Harry about the new sleeping arrangement and trying to shut Pig up.**

“That’s never easy.” Fred smirked. “Easiest thing to do is feed him an Owl Treat and his beak gets stuck together.”

_Addie_ shook her head with a chuckle. “Only you, Sirius.” She repeated.

“Alright, can we stop picking on me for the owl?” _Sirius_ asked. “He seemed eager to do the job, so I got him to do the job.”

**“Why are you calling that owl Pig?” Harry asked.**

**“Because he’s being stupid.” Ginny answered, squeezing into the room. “Its real name is Pigwidgeon.”**

**“Yeah, because that’s not a stupid name at all.” Ron snorted sarcastically. “Ginny named him; she thinks he’s sweet.**

“He is sweet.” Ginny protested.

**I tried to change it, but it was too late; that’s all he answers to now. And I’ve got to keep him up here because he annoys Errol and Hermes. He annoys me too, if I’m honest.”**

**Hermione avoided Harry’s eye, knowing he was thinking the same thing. Fury and betrayal heated the air and Hermione took a deep breath to stay calm, laying a hand on Harry’s arm.**

“Scabbers?” Mandy guessed quietly.

Harry nodded. “Ron used to say that all the time, but he was still pretty damn upset.”

**Harry glanced sideways at her, clearly surprised that she’d read his feelings …**

“Actually, I thought you’d read my mind.” Harry admitted. “Which, apparently, you could have done.”

**… but didn’t mention it. Instead, he asked, “Where’s Crookshanks, Hermione?”**

**“Out in the garden, I expect.” Hermione answered. “He’s never seen gnomes before; he loves chasing them.”**

“So do my cats.” Arabella chuckled. “Really annoy the little buggers.”  
Ginny laughed. “Mum wanted to keep him just to keep them under control.”

**Harry sat down on his bed. “So Percy’s enjoying work then?”**

Fred snorted. “There’s an understatement.”

**Ginny laughed out loud and Ron snorted. “Enjoying it? I don’t think he’d come home if Dad didn’t make him. He’s obsessed! Just don’t get him started on the subject of his boss. _According to Mr. Crouch … Mr. Crouch was telling me … As I was saying to Mr. Crouch … Mr. Crouch is of the opinion …_ They’ll be announcing their engagement any day now.”**

_Sirius_ frowned. It was no wonder Percy had been sucked in by the Ministry, if his first experience was Barty Crouch.

**Ginny and Harry laughed. Hermione tried to look disapproving, but gave up after a few minutes and cracked a smile. “Have you had a good summer, Harry?” She asked. “Did you get our food parcels and everything?”**

**Harry grinned at her. “Yeah, thanks. They saved my life, those cakes.”**

Hermione rolled her eyes fondly.

**Trust Harry to remember the cakes.**

“I remembered the other things to.” Harry insisted. “But … cake …”

Hermione laughed, taking pity on him. “I know.”

**“They’d better have done.” Hermione teased. “We laboured over those.”**

**Ginny nodded in agreement, the pink flush spreading across her face again. “I think they’ve stopped fighting; we’d better go and help.”**

“That was nice of you.” David commented.

Ginny laughed. “No, it was either we went of our own accord or Mum dragged us down anyway.”

**“How’s Jessica?” Hermione asked, as they made their way downstairs again.**

**“Oh, she’s fine.” Harry answered. “Says hello.”**

**Jessica was the only way Hermione could get Harry to talk about Privet Drive, but it didn’t look like it was going to work this time. She sighed, knowing that she’d have to tell Harry about her parents; it was only fair, since Ron and Ginny knew.**

“Yeah, it is.” Harry muttered.

**Harry threw a friendly arm around her shoulders. “You alright?”**

**“I’ll tell you later.” Hermione murmured.**

**Harry narrowed his eyes at her. “Promise?”**

Hermione chuckled. “You know, for someone who answers every single question with ‘I’m fine’, you’re very picky about our well-being.”

**“Promise.” Hermione nodded.**

**They found Molly alone in the kitchen, looking extremely bad-tempered.**

**“We’re eating in the garden.” She told them shortly. “There’s just no room for eleven people in here. Could you take the plates outside, girls?**

“Lucky.” Harry muttered. “You escaped the rant.”

“Let me guess.” Fred sighed. “She doesn’t know where she went wrong with us – she never had this sort of trouble with the other three.”

“That’s not fair.” Narcissa frowned. “Everyone’s different.”

**Bill and Charlie are setting the tables up.”**

“That’s one way of putting it.” Hermione murmured.

**Ginny and Hermione grabbed the plates and walked outside as Molly told the boys to collect knives and forks.**

**“How long do you think it will take Ron and Harry to follow us?” Hermione asked, knowing her best friends tended to dawdle.**

**Ginny laughed. “If they’ve got any sense, it won’t take long. Mum’s in a … What on earth was that?”**

Lily stiffened. “Oh dear …”

Harry chuckled. “Don’t worry, Mum. It wasn’t anything bad.”

**A loud crash from up ahead had made both of them jump. They hurried around the corner to see Fred and George laughing while Bill and Charlie made the two tables, about ten feet in the air, crash into each other, each trying to knock the other one out of the air.**

“Table Wars!” Sirius and James cheered.

**Ginny joined Fred and George and, by the time Ron and Harry joined them, Hermione was hovering by the hedge, trying to decide whether she should laugh or worry.**

“Lighten up, Mya.” Fred grinned. “They wouldn’t let anyone get hurt.”

**Her decision was made for her, however, when Bill’s table caught Charlie’s with a bang and knocked one of its legs off.**

“Laugh.” Hermione sniggered.

**Before anyone could comment, Percy’s window clattered open and his head appeared. “Will you keep it down?!” He demanded.**

“Spoilsport.” Fred muttered.

**“Sorry, Perce!” Bill grinned. “How are the cauldron bottoms coming along?”**

“Bill’s the only one who could manage to say that without making it sound mean.” Ginny commented.

**“Very badly!” Percy snapped, slamming the window shut.**

**Chuckling, Charlie reattached the table leg with a wave of his wand and he and Bill settled the two tables on the lawn end to end and conjured tablecloths out of nowhere.**

**As always, Mrs Weasley outdid herself with dinner. Hermione tucked in to chicken-and-ham pie, potatoes and salad …**

A loud growl echoed through the room and Lily sighed. “Sirius, we only just ate breakfast.”

Sirius blushed slightly. “It wasn’t just me.”

Everyone turned to Remus, who shrugged. “Full moon’s in a week. Speaking of, how does that work?”

Another note appeared. _You’re in a time-locked room, which basically means the phase of the moon stays the same until you exit it._

Remus breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”

**… only half listening to the conversations around her.**

**At the far end of the table, Percy was telling his father all about his report on cauldron bottoms.**

“Poor Arthur.” Sirius said solemnly.

**“I’ve told Mr Crouch that I’ll have it ready by Tuesday,” Percy was saying pompously. “That’s a bit sooner than he expected it, but I like to keep on top of things.**

“That, and it’s the only thing you’ve got to do.” Fred muttered.

**I think he’ll be grateful I’ve done it in good time. I mean, it’s extremely busy in our department just now, what with all the arrangements for the World Cup.**

“Which means he won’t have time to read it.” David said kindly.

**We’re just not getting the support we need from the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ludo Bagman –”**

“Ludo Bagman?!” James asked eagerly. “Do they mean the Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps?”

Sirius snorted. “Trust you to support them now they’ve pulled ahead.”

“I don’t support them.” James scowled. “But he’s a damn good player.”

“Pity he’s not as amazing as a Head of Department.” Fred snorted.

**“I like Ludo,” said Mr Weasley mildly. “He was the one who got us such good tickets for the Cup.**

“I like him.” Sirius decided.

“I don’t.” Fred scowled.

“Fred, let it go.” Harry advised. “He got his.”

“What did he do?” Regulus asked curiously. Support of the Wimbourne Wasps was one of the only things he and Sirius had in common.

“You’ll find out.” Fred sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Hermione swatted his shoulder. “Then stop bringing it up.”

**I did him a bit of a favour: his brother, Otto, got into a spot of trouble – a lawnmower with unnatural powers – I smoothed the whole thing over.”**

**“Oh, Bagman’s _likeable_ enough, of course,” said Percy dismissively, “but how he ever got to be Head of Department … when I compare him to Mr Crouch!**

“Barty Crouch is not a saint.” _Sirius_ muttered.

**I can’t see Mr Crouch losing a member of our department and not trying to find out what’s happened to them.**

“That’s true.” _Sirius_ conceded.

“Why don’t you like Barty?” David asked.

_Sirius_ pondered his answer. “I admire his dedication.” He said finally. “But as much as we need to fight back against the Dark Side, we have to be careful – plus, I happen to have a personal reason for despising him. I go into it in great detail later, I’m sure.”

**You realise Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over a month now?**

There was a sharp intake of breath.

**Went on holiday to Albania and never came back?”**

“Albania.” David muttered. “And that’s where she ran into Wormtail.”

**“Yes, I was asking Ludo about that,” said Mr Weasley, frowning. “He says Bertha’s got lost plenty of times before now – though I must say, if it was someone in my department, I’d be worried …”**

**“Oh, Bertha’s _hopeless_ , all right,” said Percy.**

Fred scowled, muttering something under his breath.

**“I hear she’s been shunted from department to department for years, much more trouble than she’s worth … but all the same, Bagman ought to be trying to find her. Mr Crouch has been taking a personal interest …**

David narrowed his eyes at that. It was unlike Barty Crouch to do something like that unless there was something in it for him.

“Guilty conscience.” Harry whispered in Hermione’s ear.

**… she worked in our department at one time, you know, and I think Mr Crouch was quite fond of her – but Bagman just keeps laughing and saying she probably misread the map and ended up in Australia instead of Albania.**

“That’s not Bertha.” _Addie_ said quietly. “She had a big mouth and no sense of when to keep it shut, but there’s no way she’s that stupid.”

**However,” Percy heaved an impressive sigh, and took a deep swig of elderflower wine, “we’ve got quite enough on our plates at the Department of International Magical Co-operation without trying to find members of other departments too. As you know, we’ve got another big event to organise right after the World Cup.”**

“I wonder what that is.” James mused. “Must be important if it’s mentioned.”

**He cleared his throat significantly and looked down towards the end of the table where Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting. “ _You_ know the one I’m talking about, Father.” He raised his voice slightly. “The top-secret one.”**

“That’s just mean.” Jen said. “It’s obvious they don’t know what’s going on.”

**Ron and Hermione rolled their eyes. “He’s been trying to get us to ask what that event is ever since he started work.” Ron muttered to Harry.**

“Even if we had, he wouldn’t have told us.” Fred said.

**“Probably an exhibition of thick-bottomed cauldrons.”**

“No, something tells me it’s a little more exciting than that.” Arabella disagreed.

Lily sighed. “But I don’t want it to be exciting. I want it to be a quiet year.”

“Not possible with me, Mum.” Harry grinned.

**In the middle of the table, Mrs Weasley was arguing with Bill about his earring, which seemed to be a recent acquisition.**

“It was.” Ginny confirmed. “He didn’t have it when we went to Egypt the summer before.”

**“… with a horrible great fang on it, really, Bill, what do they say at the bank?”**

“They won’t care.” Jen said. “As long as he keeps bringing home the gold, they won’t give a damn how he’s dressed.”

**“Mum, no one at the bank gives a damn about how I dress as long as I bring home plenty of treasure,” said Bill patiently.**

**“And your hair’s getting silly, dear,” said Mrs Weasley, fingering her wand lovingly. “I wish you’d let me give it a trim.”**

“What is it with mums and hair?” Hermione asked. “It’s like an obsession.”

“I’d say it’s a course in the hospital.” Lily answered, eyeing Harry’s hair. “But I already have the urge to grab a comb and try to tame that mess, so it must just be an intuition thing.”

**“I like it,” said Ginny from beside Hermione. “You’re so old-fashioned, Mum. Anyway, it’s nowhere near as long as Professor Dumbledore’s …”**

“No one’s is as long as Professor Dumbledore’s.” Draco pointed out.

**Next to Mrs Weasley, Fred, George and Charlie were all talking spiritedly about the World Cup.**

James, Sirius and Regulus perked up.

**“It’s got to be Ireland,” said Charlie thickly, through a mouthful of potato. “They flattered Peru in the semi-finals.”**

“Sounds like a good team.” Regulus mused.

**“Bulgaria have got Viktor Krum, though,” said Fred.**

“Seeker.” Hermione said, anticipating the question.

“A good seeker can make all the difference.” James commented.

“But if the Irish chasers are good enough …” Regulus argued.

“Stop!” Lily sighed. “Debate later, read now.”

**“Krum’s one decent player, Ireland have got seven,” said Charlie shortly.**

“That’s what I …” Regulus trailed off, catching Lily’s eye. “Never mind.”

**“I wish England had got through, though. That was embarrassing, that was.”**

“What happened?” James asked eagerly.

**“What happened?” said Harry eagerly …**

“Alright, I’m saying ‘like father, like son’ one more time.” Jen smirked. “No one else say it again.”

**… regretting more than ever his isolation from the wizarding world when he was stuck in Privet Drive. Harry was passionate about Quidditch. He had played as Seeker on the Gryffindor house Quidditch team ever since his first year at Hogwarts and owned a Firebolt, one of the best racing brooms in the world.**

“Only you, Sirius, would buy a thirteen-year-old an international racing broom.” _Addie_ chuckled.

**“Went down to Transylvania, three hundred and ninety to ten,” said Charlie gloomily.**

“How in Merlin’s name does that happen?!” James demanded.

Fred shook his head. “Don’t ask, James. You _really_ don’t want to know.”

**“Shocking performance. And Wales lost to Uganda, and Scotland were slaughtered by Luxembourg.”**

“So Ireland really is our only hope.” Sirius summarised.

**Mr Weasley conjured up candles to light the darkening garden before they had their pudding and it was while they were finishing up some delicious home-made strawberry ice-cream that Harry fixed Hermione with a stare and said, “It’s later.”**

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “For someone who’s more cryptic than a crossword sometimes, you’ve certainly got something about opening up to people.”**

“Hermione, stop repeating yourself.” Ginny teased.

**She took a deep breath and told the bowl in front of her – which was somehow easier to look at than Harry’s expression – everything that had happened with her father in an undertone. Even though the other Weasleys knew what had happened, they didn’t know about the physical abuse that she’d suffered, because she’d only told Ron and Ginny.**

“I wish you’d told us.” Fred said in an undertone. “We’d have sorted him out for you.”

**By the time she’d finished, his arm was around her shoulders again and he’d abandoned his ice-cream.**

**“If I ever meet him …” Harry trailed off ominously.**

“Get in line.” Fred muttered.

**“Get in line, mate.” Ron muttered.**

Fred smirked at their expressions. “We’re brothers. We’re bound to say the same thing sometimes.”

**Hermione couldn’t help but smile at her best friends’ protectiveness. “So I decided to do what Sirius suggested and …”**

**“Hermione!” Harry hissed, nodding almost unnoticeably at Ginny.**

Hermione rolled her eyes. “What do you take me for?”

“Someone who accidentally let it slip?” Harry guessed innocently.

Hermione blushed slightly. “I’m allowed to make mistakes.”

**“You’re about three weeks too late.” Ron told him. “Ginny knows.”**

**Hermione sighed. “In my defence, I was a little distraught when I told her.”**

**Harry squeezed her shoulder lightly, before removing his arm. “You won’t tell anyone, will you, Ginny?”**

Ginny rolled her eyes as well. “Come on, Harry. Would I?”

“Just checking.” Harry muttered.

**Ginny mimed doing up a zip across her mouth. “Not a soul. I swear.”**

**“Solemnly swear?” Harry asked and Hermione knew immediately that he wasn’t really upset.**

“You had a glint in your eye.” Hermione smirked. “Wasn’t till I got here that I realised it was a Marauder trait.”

**“Yeah.” Ginny looked a little confused. “Was that a joke? Because, if it was, you might want to warn us in future, so we remember to laugh.”**

“Ron and I chuckled.” Hermione reminded her.

“That’s how I knew it was a joke.” Ginny grinned.

**Harry grinned at her. “Inside joke, Gin. We’ll explain everything after the World Cup.”**

**“Why not now?” Ginny asked curiously.**

**“I don’t know the Silencing Charm.” Harry explained. “I’d rather tell you when we can actually talk about it.”**

“Smart move.” David nodded. “You never know when people are listening in.”

**Ginny nodded. “That makes sense.”**

**“Speaking of …” Hermione searched her pockets and pulled out the photo that Sirius had duplicated. “Long story.”**

**Harry smiled at the picture. “Thanks.”**

**Ron leaned in. “Harry, have you heard from …” he glanced up and down the table “… Padfoot at all?”**

“Dramatic.” Draco commented. “You’d already mentioned his name once.”

“That’s Ron for you.” Ginny responded.

**“A couple of times.” Harry answered. “Big birds though.”**

**Hermione laughed quietly. “Tell me about it. He’s written to me a couple of times as well.”**

**“Oh, that’s who the other letters were for.” Harry nodded. “That makes sense. I wrote to him the day before yesterday, so he might write back while I’m here.”**

Lily frowned. “I’d forgotten about that.”

**Hermione felt a strange expression rise briefly in the air; worry mixed with … grief? Fear?**

“You couldn’t tell back then?” Harry asked.

Hermione chuckled. “I never can with you, Harry. You and Draco are polar opposites in that regard.”

“What do you mean?” Draco asked.

“Well, you have amazing facial control.” Hermione explained. “It’s very difficult to read you with a glance, but your emotions are so easy to find that I don’t need to look for them – it’s like you’re throwing them in my face. Harry, on the other hand, is harder to break into than Gringotts, but he wears his heart on his sleeve, so I don’t usually need to.” She smiled at their expressions. “So, no, Harry, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was picking up. Might have been both.”

**“You okay, Harry?”**

**Harry raised an eyebrow. “Fine.”**

Hermione smirked. “See what I mean? That’s your answer to everything, Harry.”

**“No, you’re not.” Hermione accused.**

**Harry sighed. “I’ll tell you after the Cup, okay?”**

**“How did you do that?” Ginny whispered.**

**Hermione paused, wondering how to tell them that she was a classified Dark Creature.**

“We …” Ginny broke off mid-protest and Hermione smirked at her. Her fears had been justified, at least partly, by Ron and Ginny’s reactions.

**She had just steeled herself for it, when the adults stood up.**

**“Time for bed.” Mrs Weasley announced. “You’ll be up early tomorrow.”**

“How early is early?” Sirius groaned.

“Before five.” Hermione answered.

**Hermione jumped to her feet, glad for the distraction, and they followed the Weasley matriarch inside and up to their rooms. Outside their room, Hermione hugged both boys goodnight and the two girls slipped into bed.**

**“Well?” Ginny asked into the darkness.**

**Hermione grimaced, knowing her room-mate couldn’t see her. “After the Cup.”**

“Telling people things like that is never easy.” Remus sympathised.

“End of the chapter.” Harry announced.


	9. Chapter Seven - Tents and Water-Taps

“Here.” Sirius summoned the book to his hands and turned to the next chapter.

**Chapter Seven**

**Tents and Water-Taps**

“That …” Jen frowned. “That is a very bizarre chapter title.”

**Portkeys were definitely not Hermione’s favourite mode of transport …**

James grimaced. “I’m with you on that one.”

“Potter Portkey Genes.” _Sirius_ explained to the future students. “I’ve yet to know a Potter who could stay on their feet after a Portkey trip. In fact, the first time Lily took a Portkey, she stayed on her feet – James had done it at least twenty times and he ended up falling over.”

“Does the same apply to Floo trips?” Hermione asked with an innocent smile. “Because Harry always falls out of them as well.”

David chuckled. “Yes, it does. It’s the flip-side of being born fliers. We’re not quite as well-coordinated on the ground.”

**… she decided as she disentangled herself from Ginny and Fred. It was just past five o’clock in the morning and she’d just hiked over a moor, held on to an old boot for five minutes and been forcefully thrown halfway across the country to land on her backside.**

Everyone laughed. “Hermione, I love your descriptions!” Harry sniggered.

“Like you’re any better, Mr. Happy Balloon.” Hermione shot back.

Harry looked confused. “What?”

Hermione thought back. “Oh, sorry, Harry. Forgot you weren’t here for the first two books. Let’s just say you’ve got some interesting descriptions as well.”

**On top of all this, the feeling that something awful was going to happen hadn’t gone away; if anything, it had grown. She’d mentioned something to Ginny that morning and the only response she’d had was, “Well, you are Harry’s best friend.”**

“I had a point.” Ginny pointed out.

**Of course, Ginny had a valid point, but Hermione wasn’t going to admit that. Not to her face.**

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Thanks.”

Sirius pulled a face at the book. “Does he have to be in it?”

“Who?” Addie asked.

Sirius hid the book so she couldn’t read over his shoulder. “Does he?”

Hermione frowned. “Erm … Going by reactions in the last book, I’m going to guess you mean Amos Diggory? I wouldn’t worry. He basically turns up after an event and then makes a complete prat of himself.”  
“Oh, no change there then.” Sirius said cheerfully.

**Meeting Amos and Cedric Diggory at the portkey only reinforced her feelings. Well, to be fair to Cedric – who was quite a nice guy (not to mention good-looking) …**

“Hermione!” Fred and Harry protested.

Hermione turned pink. “Well, he is! I didn’t say I fancied him or anything – it’s just an observation!”

**… it was just his father. It was blindingly obvious that Harry must have awful memories to fall off a broom around Dementors and to flaunt it like that …**

Lily scowled. “What did he say?”  
Harry rolled his eyes. “Just kept going on about how Cedric beat me at Quidditch. Cedric tried to point out that I fell off my broom and he just said something about proving who the better flier was.”

**Hermione was shaken from her thoughts when Cedric, who had stayed on his feet, reached a hand down and helped her to her feet.**

“See?” Hermione asked, her blush receding. “He’s a nice guy.”

**“Thanks.” She muttered. “Do you ever get used to those?”**

**Cedric laughed. “Eventually.”**

“Unless you’re James.” Sirius put in happily.

**Fred and George lifted Ginny to her feet and Harry and Ron stood up as well, the latter shooting glares at Cedric.**

“Why?” James asked. “He didn’t blame Cedric for what his father said, did he?”

“No, Hufflepuff beat us at Quidditch.” Hermione sighed. “So, obviously, it makes Cedric the devil incarnate.”

**Hermione rolled her eyes. She loved Ron to pieces, but he was awfully immature sometimes, especially when it came to Quidditch. It wasn’t like Cedric had stopped Gryffindor winning the Cup or anything.**

“An excellent point.” Jen conceded.

**Brushing her clothes down, Hermione squinted through the half-light and mist. Two wizards were standing in front of them, dressed very inexpertly as Muggles.**

“Oh, this is always fun.” Lily smirked.

**One, who was holding a large gold pocket watch, was wearing a tweed suit with knee-length galoshes and the other, who had a long piece of parchment and a quill, was wearing a kilt and a poncho.**

Lily burst out laughing.

“What?” Regulus asked with a frown. “They’re Muggle clothes, right?”  
“They’re not supposed to be worn in those combinations.” _Addie_ explained with a smile. “It’s like …” She trailed off, trying to think of a good comparison with the magical world.

“It’s like wearing slippers with work robes.” Lily supplied.

“Or a day-cloak over dress robes.” Mandy added.

“Isn’t a cloak a cloak?” Harry asked.

Hermione chuckled. “No, Harry. The cloaks we wear for school, for example, you wouldn’t wear over dress robes to a formal ball.”

“Oh, right.” Harry nodded. “I get it.”

**“Morning, Basil.” Mr Weasley greeted, handing over the portkey.**

**“Morning, Arthur.” The kilted wizard threw it into a box. “Not on duty, eh? It’s alright for some; we’ve been here all night. You’d better get out of the way – we’ve got a big party coming in at five-fifteen from the Black Forest.”**

“Merlin, it really was early, wasn’t it?” Arabella grimaced.

“Who cares?” James asked. “It’s the World Cup!”

**Hermione, who was trying not to laugh at their clothes, chanced a glance at Harry, who caught her eye before turning away quickly.**

**“Hang on, I’ll find your campsite. Weasley … Weasley …” He ran his finger down the list. “About a quarter-of-a-mile’s walk over there; first field you come to. Site manager’s called Mr. Roberts. Diggory; second field. Ask for Mr. Payne.”**

“Guess we know which one he prefers.” Jen smirked.

“Can you blame him?” Sirius muttered.

**“Thanks, Basil.” Arthur beckoned to the others and they followed him across the moor. Hermione squinted to see that hundreds and hundreds of tents were beginning to loom out of the fog, rising up a gentle hill towards a dark wood on the horizon.**

“Camping!” Lily said suddenly.

“Er, yeah.” James responded. “That’s what you do in tents.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “No, the chapter title – tents and water-taps. That’s what it refers to.”

**“Well, Arthur, this is where we leave you.” Amos Diggory said cheerfully.**

**Cedric bid goodbye to them, before following his father into the mist. Harry, Hermione and Ginny waved, but Fred, George and Ron, still sore after Gryffindor’s last defeat, simply nodded coolly.**

Fred looked down at his feet, regretting how he had treated his class-mate.

**Together, they approached the stone cottage, where a man stood surveying the tents. He was very obviously the only real Muggle for several miles.**

Narcissa grimaced. “In that case, he’s bound to get suspicious. Why didn’t someone put a Compulsion Charm on him to make him go on holiday or something?”

**“Morning!” Mr Weasley said brightly.**

**“Morning.” The Muggle replied shortly.**

“Wasn’t one for small talk, was he?” Fred commented.

**Mr Weasley glanced apprehensively at the others. “Would you be Mr. Roberts?”**

**“Aye.” Mr. Roberts nodded. “And who would you be?”**

**“Weasley; two tents, booked a couple of days ago?” Mr Weasley told him.**

**“Aye.” Mr. Roberts repeated, checking the list tacked up by the door. “You’ve got a space up by the wood there. Just the one night?”**

**“That’s it.” Mr Weasley confirmed.**

**“You’ll be paying now then?”**

**“Ah…certainly.” Mr Weasley retreated a little way and gestured for Harry to follow him. From their whispered conversation, Hermione guessed that Harry was helping him figure out Muggle money.**

“It’s not that difficult.” Hermione sighed. “The amount is written on it.”

**“You foreign?” Mr. Roberts asked abruptly when they returned with the correct money.**

**“Foreign?” Mr Weasley repeated, looking puzzled.**

**Mr. Roberts observed the group with narrowed eyes. “You’re not the first one who’s had trouble with money.**

“Uh oh.” David murmured. “He’s too observant.”

**I had two try and pay me with great gold coins the size of hubcaps ten minutes ago.”**

Lily groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Why? Why would anyone do that?”

**“Why would anyone do that?” Ginny hissed to Hermione.**

**“They’re probably pureblood bigots who are too up themselves to realise that Muggles have their own currency.” Hermione muttered out of the corner of her mouth.**

“Nice one.” James smirked. “And very well worded.”

**“This guy’s too observant.”**

“Or most wizards are just too ignorant.” Lily sighed.

**“Never been this crowded.” Mr. Roberts commented suddenly, rummaging around in a tin for some change. “Hundreds of pre-bookings. People usually just turn up.”**

“That’s not good.” Regulus frowned. “You’re right, Cissy. Someone should have removed him from the equation early on.”

**“Is that right?” Mr Weasley asked, trying to sound casual.**

**“Aye.” Mr. Roberts looked thoughtful. “People from all over.” He was still holding the change he owed Arthur. “Loads of foreigners. And not just foreigners. Weirdoes, you know. There’s a bloke walking around in a kilt and a poncho.”**

**“Shouldn’t he?” Mr Weasley asked anxiously.**

“No.” Lily answered, still looking very put-upon. “How the Statute of Secrecy hasn’t been broken yet …”

**Mr. Roberts frowned, staring out at the tents. “It’s like some sort of … I dunno … some sort of rally. They all seem to know each other. Like a big party.”**

**Hermione heard a collective sharp intake of breath beside her and held herself back from nodding in agreement. She hadn’t thought about how odd it would appear to Muggles.**

“No one does.” Arabella frowned. “That’s not good.”

**Before Mr Weasley could reply, a wizard in plus-fours apparated next to them and pointed his wand at Mr. Roberts’s face. “ _Obliviate_!”**

“There’s the answer, Mum.” Harry shrugged.

“Memory charms should not be used to remedy wizards’ ignorance and stupidity!” David protested.

**The man’s eyes slid out of focus and a dreamy look came upon his face. “A map of the campsite for you.” He said. “And your change.”**

**“Thank you.” Mr Weasley nodded to him, and his children, Harry and Hermione hurried after him, as the other wizard accompanied them to the gate.**

**“The poor man looks exhausted!” Ginny whispered to Hermione, who nodded in agreement.**

“He really did.” Hermione sighed.

**“Been having a lot of trouble with him.” He was saying to Mr Weasley. “Needs a Memory Charm ten times a day to keep him happy.**

“That’s not right.” David frowned. “Too many Memory Charms can cause permanent damage on a person’s mental health.”

**And Ludo Bagman’s not helping. Trotting around talking about Bludgers and Quaffles at the top of his voice …**

David followed Lily’s example and sighed into his hands. “What happened to the Ministry?”

**… not a worry about anti-Muggle security.” He heaved a sigh. “Blimey, I’ll be glad when this is over.**

“He’ll be the only one.” Mandy chuckled, glancing at James’s outraged expression.

**See you later, Arthur.”**

**When he had disapparated with a crack, Ginny quickened her pace to catch up with her father, a look of surprise on her face. “I thought Bagman was Head of Magical Games and Sports? He should know better than to talk about Bludgers near Muggles, right?”**

“He should.” Fred answered. “But he doesn’t.”

**“He should.” Mr Weasley agreed with a smile, opening the gate and leading them through. “But Ludo’s always been a bit … well … lax about security. You couldn’t wish for a more enthusiastic Head of the Sports Department though.**

“I bet you couldn’t.” Addie agreed.

**He played Quidditch for England himself, you know.**

Sirius perked up. “Wow! He gets better!”

**And he was the best Beater the Wimbourne Wasps ever had.”**

“And apparently they don’t.” James smirked.

“One player doesn’t make the team.” Regulus argued. “They’re nowhere near as bad as the Cannons.”

“True.” James conceded.

**Hermione closed the gate behind them and walked straight into Harry. “Hey!”**

**“Sorry.” Harry moved out of the way, not taking his eyes off the scene in front of them. “Hermione, does something seem … odd about these tents to you?”**

“Oh, here we go.” Harry smirked.

**Hermione shielded her eyes from the rising sun so she could see the rows of tents on either side of them. Most of them looked like regular Muggle tents and she was about to ask what Harry meant, when she caught sight of a weather vane sticking out the top of one of them.**

“What’s weird about that?” Regulus asked.

“Muggle tents don’t have weather-vanes.” Harry answered.

**A few pitches down, there was a chimney and a bell-pull. Dotted among them, here and there, were tents that were so magical that Hermione wasn’t surprised that Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious. One tent looked like a miniature palace complete with several peacocks tethered outside.**

“Lucius.” _Sirius_ concluded, rolling his eyes.

“How’d you know?” Draco asked.

“Your father has a rather strange fascination with peacocks.” _Sirius_ answered.

Draco pulled a face. “Well, I won’t argue with that.”

**Ron rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded a bit like “Malfoys”.**

**“Always the same.” Mr Weasley chuckled. “We can’t resist showing off when we get together.”**

**“That, or half these people think that Muggle tents really do look like this.” Harry murmured.**

“I think that’s more likely.” Lily agreed with a smile.

**Hermione sniggered and nodded in agreement, just as they reached their spot; a small empty space with a sign hammered into the ground that read _Wheezly_.**

Sirius sniggered. “It’s spelt W-H-E-E-Z-L-Y.” He explained.

**“Couldn’t have a better spot.” Mr Weasley said happily. “The pitch is just on the other side of that wood there; we’re as close as we could be.”**

James brightened up. “Brilliant!”

**He dropped his backpack on the ground. “Right, no magic allowed, strictly speaking; not when we’re out in these numbers on Muggle land.**

Remus laughed. “Who wants to bet Arthur’s the only one to stick to that rule?”

“No, a lot of people did.” Draco informed him. “Father was _not_ happy.”

“Really?” Narcissa asked. “What did he say?”

“I wouldn’t repeat it.” Draco grimaced. “On and on and on about pandering to Muggles and did the Ministry _really_ expect us to _live_ like that and …” He trailed off.

“That explains _so_ much.” Hermione commented darkly.

**We’ll be putting these tents up by hand! Shouldn’t be too hard … Muggles do it all the time. Here, Harry, where do you think we should start?”**

“Merlin knows why he asked me.” Harry sniggered.

**Harry stared at the tent pieces in front of them. “Hermione?”**

“When in doubt, turn to Hermione.” Draco smirked. “Sounds like a good rule.”

“It’s served me well.” Harry agreed solemnly.

**Hermione started. “Don’t you know?” She picked up a few of the pegs. “Let’s see …”**

**“Like the Dursleys ever took me anywhere.” Harry muttered.**

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I was talking about Jess, Harry. Remember her?”

**“Didn’t Jess used to take you on holiday?” Hermione asked, as she pictured a tent mentally and tried to place everything.**

**Harry shrugged, holding a piece of canvas for her to slip a tent pole through. “Sometimes, but we never went camping. And only when I was old enough to realise that telling the Dursleys that I had fun with Jess meant that I’d never go back.” He paused thoughtfully. “I reckon that’s why Mrs. Figg was such a nightmare to deal with.”**

**“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about her.” Hermione remembered, wincing as Arthur hit his thumb with the mallet.**

Lily winced as well. “That’s not a fully-wizard mistake though. Dad’s done that about twenty times.”

**“Do you think she knows you’re a wizard?”**

**Harry glanced at her. “Why do you ask?”**

**“Her first name’s Arabella, right?” Hermione asked. “Isn’t your Mum’s friend Arabella Figg?”**

“Well-reasoned.” Arabella smiled.

**Harry frowned. “You’re right. Can’t be the same person though … maybe a grandmother? I’ll ask Arabella next time I write to her.”**

“You were writing to us then?” Arabella asked happily.

Harry nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

**“Good idea.” Hermione slid another pole in. “Is Jess still having weird dreams?”**

**“Yep.” Harry answered. “And if you thought the last warning was bad, this one’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I’ll tell you when we get back.” He straightened up. “Got it!”**

**Hermione stood back and joined him. The two shabby two-man tents certainly didn’t look like they belonged to wizards. But once Charlie, Bill and Percy arrived, they would be a party of ten.**

_Sirius_ chuckled. “They’re magical tents, Kitten.”  
Hermione sighed. “I know.”

**She looked quizzically at Harry, who looked just as bewildered, as Mr Weasley dropped to his hands and knees and crawled inside.**

**“We’ll be a bit cramped.” He called out. “But I think we’ll all squeeze in. Come and have a look.”**

**Harry and Hermione exchanged a dubious glance, before he lifted up the tent flap to allow her to enter before him.**

Lily gave Harry a proud smile.

**As she stood up, her jaw dropped. She had walked into what looked like a fully-furnished, three-bedroom flat, complete with bathroom and kitchen, but which seemed to have a distinct smell of cats. She had heard of enlargement charms, but never dreamed they’d look like this.**

“What are Muggle tents like inside then?” Regulus asked.

Hermione shrugged. “They’re just the inside of canvas. They can be quite big, but there isn’t furniture in them or anything. People use sleeping bags. It’s really quite uncomfortable.”

Lily winced. “Tell me about it. Unlike Petunia, I enjoy camping – probably because she doesn’t come with us anymore – but I hate sleeping in tents.”

**A sharp intake of breath from behind her told her that Harry had reacted in the same way.**

**“Well, it’s not for long.” Mr Weasley said cheerfully, mopping his bald patch with a handkerchief. “I borrowed this from Perkins at the office. Doesn’t camp much anymore, poor fellow; he’s got lumbago.”**

Sirius interrupted himself. “What on earth …?”

“Back pain.” Addie answered.

**He had picked up the kettle while he talked. “We’ll need water …”**

**“There’s a tap marked on this map the Muggle gave us.” Ron’s voice broke in, causing Hermione to start slightly. He was standing behind her, completely at ease with his surroundings.**

“Before you say anything,” Hermione sighed, “yes, I’m aware Ron grew up with magic. It was just an observation.”

**“It’s on the other side of the field.”**

**“Why don’t you, Harry and Hermione go and get us some water then?” Mr Weasley suggested, handing him the kettle and passing two saucepans to Hermione. “And the rest of us will get some wood for a fire.”**

**“But we’ve got an oven!” Ron protested. “Why can’t we just …?”**

**“Ron, anti-Muggle security!” Mr Weasley interrupted. “When real Muggles camp, they cook on fires outdoors; I’ve seen them at it!”**

“That is true.” Hermione conceded. “Although a lot of Muggles take disposable barbeques with them.” She caught sight of confused expressions and didn’t wait for the questions. “It’s sort of like a small box with a grill over it. You put charcoal inside the box and light it and then cook the food on the grill.”

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “Come on, Ron. You too, Harry.” She handed him one of the saucepans. “Let’s go and see if Ginny wants to come with us.”**

**They ducked into the girls’ tent, which was decorated in the same way though, thankfully, without the smell of cats.**

“Lucky.” Harry muttered.

“What’s wrong with cats?” Arabella asked.

“Nothing.” Harry answered. “But you know that smell when the litter tray hasn’t been emptied yet …?”

Arabella pulled a face. “Never mind.”

**Ginny was stowing her backpack away. “Bottom bunk alright, Hermione?”**

“I actually prefer the bottom bunk.” Hermione commented. “I never got why the top bunk was such a treat.”  
“You get to climb it!” James answered with a grin. “All those times your parents tell you not to climb on furniture get ignored!”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Boys.”

**“Fine.” Hermione answered. “We’re going to go and get some water; you coming?”**

**Ginny shrugged. “Yeah, alright then.”**

**They set off across the campsite. By now, the sun had risen and the mist had lifted, and they could see the tents that stretched in every direction. Edging slowly through the rows, Hermione stifled a laugh at the bewildered expression on Harry’s face. It was evident that he’d never realised that there must be wizards and witches in other countries.**

Harry blushed. “I just hadn’t thought about it, that’s all.”

“Oh, Harry.” Lily chuckled.

**She would have given anything to stop and talk to them, but she knew that, at this time in the morning, they weren’t likely to be very hospitable.**

“No, I shouldn’t think they would be.” Remus agreed. “Having tried to wake these two up every morning.”

“It’s not that difficult.” Sirius protested.

Addie rolled her eyes. “It is, Padfoot, and you know it.”

**Families were beginning to emerge from tents on either side of them, mostly ones with small children. A tiny boy, no older than three, was crouched next to a tent prodding a slug, which was slowly swelling to the size of salami, with a wand.**

_Sirius_ sniggered. “Harry got hold of James’s wand once.”

“What did I do?” Harry asked eagerly.

“Well, by the time I got there, James was hanging upside down and Lily had turned completely pink.” _Sirius_ answered with a smirk.

**As they reached him, his mother came hurrying out and snatched the wand back. “How many times, Kevin! You don’t … touch … Daddy’s … wand … Yeuch!” She had trodden on the slug, which burst. Her scolding, mingled with the little boy’s screams, floated after them on the still air.**

“Why was he screaming?” Lily asked.

“She didn’t hurt him.” Hermione assured her. “He was upset about the slug.”

**A little further on, they came across two witches, barely older than Kevin, riding toy broomsticks just high enough for their toes to skim the grass.**

“And if the Muggles had seen them?” David asked, shaking his head. “Honestly.”

**A Ministry wizard had seen them and hurried past them muttering, “In broad daylight! Parents having a lie-in, I suppose.”**

“Poor bloke.” Jen murmured. “He must be exhausted.”

**“If it’s any consolation, you’re doing a great job!” Ginny called after him.**

“You made his day, I should think.” David chuckled.

**He shot the group a grateful smile over his shoulder and continued on his mission.**

**“Suck-up.” Ron muttered.**

Ginny rolled her eyes. “I was just trying to be nice.”

**Ginny stuck her tongue out at him, but any retort was cut off by a shout.**

**“Harry!”**

Lily brightened. “Oh, who is it?”

“No idea.” Sirius answered. “That’s the end of the chapter.”


	10. Chapter Eight - Peers and Parents

“Here.” Hermione took the book with a smile.

**Chapter Eight**

**Peers and Parents**

“I guess you’re going to run into people from school.” Jen commented.

**The quartet spun around, expecting to see someone from Hogwarts, but they were being hailed by two women a few years older than Bill, one with honey-coloured hair, the other with blonde.**

“That’s us!” Arabella and Mandy chorused.

“We get to go to the Cup?” Mandy grinned. “Wicked!”

“You do work in Magical Games and Sports.” _Sirius_ reminded her. “I think that’s how you got the tickets.”

**“How do Professor Cotswold and Professor Figg know Harry?” Ginny asked.**

“Ron, Hermione and I were the only ones who knew.” Harry explained.

“Along with everyone in the Quidditch team.” Ginny reminded him, rolling her eyes.

**“They were friends with Mum.” Harry answered, jogging over to them.**

**“Hey, sweetheart.” Arabella greeted, embracing her surrogate nephew. “Hey, everybody.”**

**“Hello, Professors.” They chorused.**

**“There’s no need to call us Professor anymore.” Mandy told them. “Just call us Mandy and Arabella; everyone does.**

“That would be because they’re our names.” Arabella sniggered.

“I was probably referring to mine.” Mandy elbowed her. “I would have been introduced as Amanda, wouldn’t I?”

**We won’t be teaching anymore.”**

**Hermione couldn’t help but pick up the strange emotion floating around her. She seemed to be grieving for someone or something, though outwardly hiding it well.**

“Peter probably.” Lily frowned.

Mandy sighed.

**“Oh, why not?” Ginny asked.**

**“Because we were only covering for Remus.” Arabella explained, finally releasing Harry so that Mandy could hug him. “And he’s not teaching anymore either.”**

**“I think that sucks.” Ron admitted. “He was the best teacher we had.”**

Remus smiled at that.

**“Thank you, Ron.” The four jumped and turned to see Remus Lupin standing behind them, smiling at them.**

“Moony, you get to go too!” James cheered. “Why don’t I get to go?”

Everyone carefully avoided answering that question.

**“Good morning, Professor.” Hermione greeted.**

**“Hermione, you don’t need to call me Professor anymore.” Remus said gently.**

**“Habit.” Harry grinned. “Hey, Moony.”**

**“That works.” Remus nodded, giving Harry a brief hug.**

**“You don’t want to know how long it took for us to convince Remus to come with us.” Arabella whispered to Hermione.**

“But you love Quidditch.” Jen frowned.

Arabella and Mandy both coughed, sounding suspiciously like the word ‘charity’.

“Oh.” Jen sighed. “Not that again.”

**“Oh, Arabella,” Harry hesitated, “I have a babysitter called Mrs. Figg. Is she any relation?”**

**Arabella frowned. “Does she have a lot of cats, is an awful cook and smell of cabbage?”**

Arabella chuckled. “That about sums her up.”

**“That’s her.” Harry nodded.**

**“She’s my grandmother.” Arabella confirmed. “Squib. Merlin knows what she’s doing there.”**

**“Keeping an eye on Harry?” Mandy guessed.**

“Well, she’s not doing a very good job.” Lily frowned. “No offence to your grandmother, Ara.”

“It’s fine.” Arabella assured her. “I’m sure she just doesn’t know everything.”

**“But Jess looks after me more than her.” Harry disagreed. He had already told the two women about her in his letters, and Arabella had met her over the summer.**

Arabella raised an eyebrow. “When was this?”  
“When Jess found out I was technically blackmailing the Dursleys into being nice to me, she decided to test them a little.” Harry smirked. “She can’t stand them, you see. She borrowed me for a day to help her with a bit of shopping in London – she took me to the London Aquarium instead. That afternoon, after lunch, we were talking about places we could go, when I had the idea to go to Diagon Alley.”

Lily smiled at him. “That was nice of you. How’d you hide your scar?”

Harry shrugged. “Wore a hat. And Jess took me to get prescription sunglasses years ago, so I could wear them and still be able to see properly. Since Arabella was working that day, I dragged Jess into Creature Comforts to say hi.”

“And did I seem to think she was under a Memory Charm?” Arabella asked.

Harry frowned. “You didn’t say anything to me if you did. Of course, I only told you and Mandy about the dreams while I was at Hogwarts, not before, so you don’t have the full story.”

**“She had a new dream by the way. I’ll send you the details when we’ve looked at it.”**

**Ron checked his watch. “Guys, Dad’s going to send a search party after us in a minute.”**

**“Oh, yeah!” Harry turned to the others. “Sorry; we’ve been sent on a water mission.”**

“Make it sound more dramatic than it was.” Hermione teased.

**Mandy laughed. “Off you go then. We’ll see you all later.”**

**Departing with a wave, the four teenagers jogged off through the tents. Adult wizards were beginning to emerge and cooking breakfast. Some were lighting fires with their wands, after furtive looks around; others were striking matches with dubious looks on their faces as though sure it would never work.**

Lily rolled her eyes.

**“Honestly.” Hermione hissed. “Muggles do without magic all their lives; they can’t do without it for a few days?”**

“Thank you.” Lily agreed.

**One wizard who overheard her held up a box of matches. “You do it then!”**

**Hermione rolled her eyes, took the box, struck a match and lit the fire. “You’re welcome.” She re-joined the others, giving Harry a warning glare when he started to snigger.**

“Look on his face.” Harry laughed. “He’d have looked less surprised if you’d lit the match and it’d turned into an elephant.”

“An elephant?” Fred asked. “Not likely. A snake maybe …”

Hermione recognised the lead-up to a new product and groaned. “Now you’ve done it.”

**As excitement in the air mounted, Hermione began to worry about that evening. Would she be able to stay conscious with all the emotions around her?**

_Sirius_ looked worried. “Hermione?”

“I can shut them off.” Hermione assured him. “I was fine.”

**She’d noticed that negative emotions took the most out of her, giving her a terrible migraine. Would that be the same for positive emotions?**

“Is it?” Lily asked.

Hermione shrugged. “I don’t get as tired with positive emotions, but too much at once can cause havoc with my head.”

**“Er … is it my eyes or has everything gone green?” Ron asked.**

“Irish supporters.” James grinned.

**Shaken from her thoughts, Hermione glanced around and saw that it wasn’t just Ron’s eyes. They had walked right into the midst of the Irish supporters; a patch of tents that were all covered with a layer of thick shamrocks. They had scarcely gone three paces, when they heard their names again.**

**“Harry! Ron! Hermione!”**

**Seamus Finnigan, another fourth year Gryffindor, was sitting in front of his own shamrock-covered tent with his mother, and his best friend, Dean Thomas.**

“That was nice of them.” Mandy commented. “To take Dean with them, I mean.”

“Nah, that’s what friends do.” James told her with a grin.

**They greeted them happily, introducing Ginny as well.**

**“Like the decorations?” said Seamus, grinning. “The Ministry’s not too happy.”**

“Oh, come on.” James grinned. “Why shouldn’t they? I bet the Bulgarians are doing the same thing.”

**“Ah, why shouldn’t we show our colours?” said Mrs Finnigan. “You should what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over _their_ tents.**

“What’s the emblem for Bulgaria?” Lily asked thoughtfully.

“I don’t think there is one.” Remus frowned. “Might be the flag, I suppose.”

**You’ll be supporting Ireland, of course?” she added, eyeing them beadily.**

“What else are they going to say?” Sirius asked with a smirk.

**When they had assured her that they were indeed supporting Ireland, they set off again, though, as Ron said, “Like we’d say anything else surrounded by that lot.”**

**“I wonder what the Bulgarians have dangling over their tents.” Hermione mused out loud.**

**“Let’s go and have a look.” Harry suggested, gesturing to a patch of tents up-field that had the Bulgarian flag fluttering overhead.**

**The tents here had no plant-life, but every tent had the same poster attached to it; a poster of a very surly face with heavy black eyebrows that was blinking and scowling at them.**

“Must be that player they were talking about at dinner.” Regulus realised.

**“Krum.” Ron said quietly.**

**“What?” Hermione asked.**

**“Viktor Krum.” Ginny elaborated, gesturing to the poster. “The Bulgarian Seeker.”**

**“He looks really grumpy.” Hermione commented, glancing at the many posters.**

Hermione held back a snigger. Viktor had confided in her at Christmas that he hated the publicity (rather like Harry) – magical photographs had a way of knowing when their subject didn’t want to be there.

At least his photos weren’t like Harry’s and needed someone to drag him into the frame.

**“Grumpy?” Ron repeated incredulously. “Who cares what he looks like? He’s unbelievable! He’s really young too. Only just eighteen or something.”**

Regulus gaped at the book. “ _Eighteen_ and he’s playing internationally?”

**Harry gave a low whistle. “That is impressive.”**

“Yeah, it is.” James agreed.

**Ron nodded. “He’s a genius. You just wait until tonight; you’ll see.”**

Ginny leaned over to Hermione. “Changed his tune, didn’t he?”

**“Ron’s in love.” Ginny whispered to Hermione.**

**There was already a queue for the tap, so they came to a halt right behind two men who were arguing loudly.**

Hermione and Ginny began sniggering at the memory.

**Hermione wasn’t paying much attention to them until Ginny elbowed her ribs with a slight giggle, causing her to glance at them and her mouth to drop open. One of them was a very old wizard wearing a flowery nightgown.**

Lily burst out laughing.

“I saw this in a Muggle shop!” Ginny insisted in a gruff voice, before falling into giggles again.

**The other was a Ministry wizard, who was holding a pair of pinstripe trousers and almost crying with exasperation.**

“Muggle _women_ wear them, Archie, not the men! Men wear these! Put them on, Archie, there’s a good chap!” Hermione couldn’t continue, using Harry for support. She fought to regain her breath and started reading again.

**In utter shock, the quartet watched as the Ministry wizard tried desperately to convince his companion to change his outfit, but ‘Archie’ steadfastly refused, finally insisting that “I like a nice, healthy breeze around my privates, thanks”.**

Everyone had lost it by now. Even Narcissa and Regulus were sniggering.

**Hermione and Ginny were, at this point, overcome by giggles, so they ducked out of the line …**

“Smart move.” Addie gasped out through laughter.

**… leaning on each other for support, until Archie had collected his water and moved on.**

**Once they had their water, they walked back to their tent a lot more slowly. Here and there, they saw other familiar faces; other Hogwarts students and their families. Oliver Wood, the old captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team who had just graduated, dragged Harry over to introduce him to his parents.**

“Best part about that was I knew it had nothing to do with the Boy-Who-Lived thing.” Harry remarked. “Just because I’m a good Seeker.”

**Ernie Macmillan, a fourth year Hufflepuff, hailed them next and, a little further on, they saw Cho Chang, the fifth year Ravenclaw Seeker. She smiled and waved at them, causing Harry to slop water down his front as he waved back.**

Harry turned bright red. “Thanks, Hermione.”

Hermione stared at the next paragraph and was about to skip it, but Ginny tugged the book out of her hands and read it for her.

**Ginny and Hermione exchanged an amused glance, but Hermione wasn’t sure how she felt about that.**

Harry looked at Hermione questioningly, but she stared at the ground.

**She, Ron and Harry had always been a trio. Could she and Ron handle Harry dating someone?**

Hermione grimaced. “That sounded more selfish than it did in my head.” She looked at Harry. “I only mean that it’s always been the three of us and I’m worried that whoever you date – hell, whoever any of us date – won’t be able to handle that and we’ll pull apart.”

“Never.” Harry stated. “Come on, Hermione, we need you too much. We’re the ones who need to worry.”

Hermione chuckled. “Oh, Harry, I’m not going anywhere. You need me too much.”

Harry nudged her lightly, rolling his eyes. “Look, neither of us is dating anyone – let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“Fine.” Hermione took the book back from Ginny.

**She shook herself out of it; the emotions around the two of them were only slightly stronger than platonic. There was nothing to worry about yet.**

**Before Ron could comment, Harry pointed out a large group of teenagers who didn’t go to Hogwarts. “Who d’you recon they are? They don’t go to Hogwarts, do they?”**

Harry blushed. “Yeah, I know. Didn’t realise there were foreign schools, I’m an idiot.”

“No you’re not.” Lily chided. “You’re just your father’s son.”

“Exact – Hey!” James protested.

**“’Spect they go to some foreign school.” Ron answered, still smirking. “I know there are others; never met anyone who went to one though.”**

**“Bill had a pen-friend at a school in Brazil.” Ginny reminded him. “Years and years ago. He wanted to go on an exchange trip, but Mum and Dad couldn’t afford it. His pen-friend got all offended when he said he wasn’t going and sent him a cursed hat. It made his ears shrivel up.”**

“That’s not very nice.” Lily frowned. “It was hardly Bill’s fault.”

**Ron laughed. “I’d forgotten about that.”**

**Hermione saw Harry glance at her and nodded a confirmation that Ron and Ginny weren’t pulling his leg about foreign wizarding schools.**

“Would we do that?” Ginny asked innocently.

“Yes.” Harry answered flatly. “In a heartbeat.”

**“You’ve been ages!” George called when they reached the Weasley tents.**

**“Met a few people.” Ron explained shortly, setting the pots down. “You got the fire started yet?”**

Fred rolled his eyes. “What do you think?”

**“Dad’s having fun with the matches.” Fred explained, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.**

**Mr Weasley looked like he was having the time of his life …**

“He was.” Ginny smiled fondly.

**… splintered matches littering the ground around him. “Oops!” He finally managed to light a match and dropped it in surprise.**

**“Come here, Mr. Weasley.” Hermione took the matches from him and showed him how to do it.**

“That was nice of you.” Lily smiled.

“No, I was hungry.” Hermione admitted.

**Once the fire was lit, it was another hour before it was hot enough to cook anything.**

“About par for the course.” Lily commented.

“Par for the what?” James asked in bewilderment.

“It’s …” Lily sighed. “Muggle sport analogy and far too difficult to explain. It basically means, that’s normal.”

**However, there was plenty to watch while they waited. Their tents were pitched right next to what seemed to be the thoroughfare to the pitch and Ministry members kept hurrying past, greeting Arthur as they did so. Arthur kept a running commentary going, mainly for Harry and Hermione’s benefit. The other Weasleys didn’t seem that interested …**

“We’d heard it all before.” Fred shrugged.

**… probably, Hermione reflected, because they already knew the ins and outs of the Ministry.**

**“That was Cuthbert Mockridge, Head of the Goblin Liaison Office …**

“That’s changed.” David murmured.

**… here comes Gilbert Wimple, he’s with the Committee on Experimental Charms …**

“Ah, he’s there now.” David said. “Had a bit of a mishap a few weeks ago. Wonder if he’s still got those horns.”

**… he’s had those horns for a while now …**

“Guess so.” James sniggered.

**… Hello, Arnie … Arnold Peasegood, he’s an Obliviator – member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, you know …**

“They have to have people who’s only job is to Obliviate Muggles?” Lily asked in surprise.

“Not at the moment.” David frowned. “Normally the AMRS officials take care of it. Things must be getting worse.”

**… that that’s Bode and Croaker … they’re Unspeakables …”**

“They’re what?” Lily asked.

“It’s explained.” Hermione interrupted before anyone could answer.

**“They’re what?” Harry asked.**

Lily smiled. There’d been several instances where Harry had said the same thing as James, but this hadn’t been common.

**Hermione nodded in agreement. She’d heard of most of the other positions, but this one had her flummoxed.**

**“From the Department of Mysteries.” Arthur elaborated. “Top secret; no idea what they get up to. I do believe your mother was one for a short while.”**

Lily raised an eyebrow. “Really? I thought you said I trained as a Healer?”

“You did.” _Sirius_ frowned. “I didn’t know … Oh, wait a second. There was a short time after graduation when Lily used to disappear into the Ministry. She said she was looking for a job, but we never saw her.”

“Wouldn’t I have told you?” Lily asked.

“Not if you were just trying it out.” _Sirius_ answered. “Unspeakables aren’t allowed to tell anyone what they do at work, not even their own families. It wouldn’t have surprised me if they did try to get Lily into the department …”

“Why?” Lily asked in surprise. “There’s nothing special about me.”

“I’d disagree.” James muttered.

“Well, Jen, James and I already had our hearts set on the Auror Squads.” _Sirius_ explained. “Addie was … unavailable. After the four of us, you’re the next most powerful of our generation. You’d have made a good addition to the department, but I can’t see Lily keeping _more_ secrets …”

“More secrets?” Remus asked.

“A lot of what we did with the Order was kept secret.” _Sirius_ admitted. “Even amongst Order members. Part of what caused the cloud of suspicion and probably part of the reason Peter was able to fool us all so easily. When he said he needed to run errands for his mother or something, we believed him, because we were all using similar excuses. Anyway, Lily wouldn’t have been comfortable not being able to tell us what she was doing at work.” He concluded. “So that’s probably why she went into Healing instead.”

**“Really?” Harry asked in surprise. “Any idea what Dad did?”**

“You didn’t know?” James asked sadly.

“Who would have told me?” Harry asked in response.

**Arthur laughed.**

“It’s not a laughing matter.” Lily frowned.

“Ask a silly question.” Harry shrugged. “From what I’ve heard, Dad was _really_ good.”

**“Oh, Harry, James was an Auror. One of the youngest to graduate the Auror School, actually.**

David smiled proudly. “Really?”

“Well, that was less to do with James and more to do with the Ministry condensing the training.” _Sirius_ admitted. “But James and I graduated second and third of our class.”

“Who came out first?” James asked.

“Jen.” _Sirius_ answered with a smirk. “I told you – she was damn good.”

**They’d condensed the training, you see, to one year, because of the war.” He jumped to his feet and began cooking sausages and eggs.**

**“Auror?” Harry asked Hermione quietly.**

**“A Dark-Wizard catcher.” Hermione explained. “It means that your father would have been near the front-line in the war against You-Know-Who. Didn’t you know that?”**

**“That my father was an Auror?” Harry asked. “No. Did you?”**

**“No.” Hermione shook her head. “I knew Sirius was one …**

“Because of the badge.” Harry finished. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Hermione shrugged. “I wanted to figure it out myself first. And I already knew he was an auror.”

“How?” Harry asked.

Hermione blushed. “I did a lot of research over third year. Only found one mention of it though.”

“Probably because the Ministry didn’t want to draw attention to it.” Harry muttered.

**… but everything about your family seems to have been removed from the library.”**

David frowned. “That’s odd.”

“Maybe Dumbledore didn’t want people to have more of an excuse to talk about Harry.” James suggested.

“No.” Hermione shook her head. “No one bothered trying to look things up. Well, except for me, of course.”

**Harry paled. “Do you think I really am an Heir of Slytherin?”**

“No.” David and James answered together.

“We can trace our family tree back far enough to know that there’s no trace of Slytherin.” David explained. “Even if there is, it’s too small to be recognised.”

**“Don’t be stupid.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Potters have always been in Gryffindor; I know that for certain.”**

“Well, that doesn’t mean much.” Jen pointed out. “Look at our family.”

“Your family aren’t heirs though, are they?” Hermione asked. “It’s one thing to get sorted into a different house than the rest of your family, but something tells me having the actual bloodline might have something to do with it.”

**But Harry had made a good point.**

**What was it about the Potter family that Dumbledore didn’t want anyone to know?**

“Dad?” James asked. “Any dark secrets you haven’t been telling me?”

“Not that I can think of.” David answered, still frowning. “Unless … Harry, who’s the Earl of Richmond?”

Harry frowned, glancing at Hermione. “Well … I didn’t do much history like that at school, but I thought there was only a Duke of Richmond …”

“Charles Gordon-Lennox.” Hermione filled in. “I think. I went to Goodwood House a few years ago during the summer. What’s this got to do with the Potters?”

“Because there is an Earl of Richmond.” David answered with a sigh. “And in your time, it would be James. The Potters are an Ancient and Noble House – you should have been informed of all this on your eleventh birthday, especially since the magical world considers you the head of the family.”

“So Dumbledore doesn’t want me to know that.” Harry frowned. “And that’s why there aren’t any books in the library.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to overburden Harry.” Lily suggested, looking faintly overwhelmed.

“Legally, he has to be informed.” James told her. “And Dumbledore’s not above the law. It’s a duty thing.”

“So Dumbledore’s illegally denying Harry access to his inheritance and family history.” Hermione concluded. “And that’s the end of the chapter.”


	11. Chapter Nine - Bagman and Crouch

“Succinct summary.” Fred commented as he took the book.

“Were you ever going to tell me any of this?” Lily asked James weakly.

James grinned at her. “Eventually.”

“After you get married.” _Sirius_ corrected. “I flooed in in the aftermath – Lily needed a rather strong glass of firewhiskey. Of course, I think that was because you’d just received a ‘congratulations on your wedding’ card from the royal family.”

The remaining colour drained from Lily’s face and she closed her eyes. “That was probably the reason. The royal family recognises it?”  
David nodded. “The royal family and the Muggle prime minister are all aware of magic, although the latter has to be obliviated as soon as he leaves office.”

 _Sirius_ disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a strong cup of tea, handing it to Lily. “Looks like you need this.”

Lily took it but hesitated. “Is this the same strength tea you said you gave James when Harry was born?”

 _Sirius_ smiled. “Not quite, but it does have a small shot of firewhiskey in it.”

Lily shrugged. “What the hell, I think I need it.”

Fred turned to the next chapter. “Well, now that our future Mrs Potter …” Lily blushed “… has calmed down a little, I shall continue.”

**Chapter Nine**

**Bagman and Crouch**

“You meet Bagman?” Sirius asked.

Harry nodded. “And Crouch, unfortunately.”

**Before Hermione could really think this through, Percy, Bill and Charlie came strolling out of the woods towards them.**

**“Just apparated, Dad!” Percy called in his usual pompous manner.**

Fred rolled his eyes. “He can be a complete idiot sometimes. Shouting that where Muggles could hear.”

**“Ah, excellent; lunch!”**

**About halfway through their lunch, Arthur jumped to his feet, waving and grinning at a man who was striding towards them. “Ah, the man of the moment! Ludo!”**

**Hermione glanced up and choked on her sausage …**

James and Sirius sniggered.

Addie rolled her eyes and smacked them both over the head. “Mind, gutter, out!”

**… Harry patted her on the back, a look of something close to shock on his face.**

“Why?” James asked.

**Ludo Bagman was the most recognisable person they’d seen all day, including Archie in his flowery nightgown. Bagman looked like a powerfully built man who had slightly gone to seed; his robes were stretched across a large belly Hermione was sure he wouldn’t have had when he played professional Quidditch.**

“I should say not.” Sirius frowned, looking slightly betrayed.

**His nose was squashed …**

“Bludger.” Sirius and James said together.

**… but his round blue eyes, short blond hair and rosy complexion made him look like an overgrown school-boy.**

“You saw it too then?” Harry sniggered.

**But his robes were the most noticeable thing about him.**

David groaned. “No wonder that Muggle’s getting suspicious.”

**They were long Quidditch robes in thick horizontal stripes of black and yellow and there was an enormous picture of a wasp splashed across his chest.**

“Wimbourne Wasps.” Addie and Sirius said in unison.

**He was walking as though he had springs on his feet and was clearly in a state of wild excitement.**

**“Ahoy there! Arthur, old man!” He huffed as he reached the campfire. “What a day, eh? What a day! Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming …**

“Good conditions.” James said happily.

**… and not a hiccup in the arrangements … Not much for me to do!”**

**“Somehow I doubt that.” Ginny murmured near Hermione’s left ear.**

**As if to prove Ginny’s point, a group of haggard-looking Ministry wizards went rushing past them, pointing at some sort of magical fire in the distance which was sending violet sparks twenty feet in the air.**

Lily sighed. “Wonderful.”

**To Hermione’s surprise, Percy, who had been saying just the day before how much he disapproved of the way Ludo Bagman acted and ran his department, hurried forwards with his hand outstretched.**

“Suck-up.” Jen muttered bitterly.

**Harry caught her eye and they both grinned. Apparently his disapproval didn’t stop him from wanting to make a good impression.**

**“Ah, yes!” Arthur grinned.**

“Dad saw right through it too.” Ginny grinned.

**“This is my son, Percy; he’s just started at the Ministry. And this is Fred – no, George, sorry – _that’s_ Fred …**

Fred shook his head. “He had it right the first time.”

**… Bill, Charlie, Ron – my daughter, Ginny – and Ron’s friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter.”**

**Bagman, who had shaken hands with everyone as their names were mentioned, did a tiny double-take at Harry’s name and his eyes performed the familiar flick upwards to his scar.**

Harry rolled his eyes. “I swear people don’t think I notice.”

**“Everyone,” Arthur continued, oblivious to the exchange, “this is Ludo Bagman. You know who he is; it’s thanks to him we’ve got such good seats.”**

**Bagman waved his hand beaming, as if to say that it had been nothing. “Fancy a flutter on the match, Arthur?”**

Lily raised an eyebrow, setting her empty cup on a nearby table. “He is _not_ gambling in front of my son.”

**He asked, eagerly rattling his pockets, which seemed to be full of a large amount of gold.**

“I think he is.” James told his outraged girlfriend.

**“I’ve already got Roddy Pontner betting me Bulgaria will score first – I’ve offered him nice odds, considering Ireland’s front three are the strongest I’ve seen in years – and little Agatha Timms has put up half-shares in her eel farm on a week-long match.”**

David rolled his eyes. “Bit much, that.”

**“You know, Lily Potter would skin you alive if she was here now.”**

“Damn right, I would.” Lily muttered.

**Bagman turned around. “Mandy! Arabella!**

“We’re on first name terms with him?” Arabella asked in surprise.

“Mandy works with him.” _Sirius_ reminded him. “Or for him, I suppose.”

Lily smiled at them. “Thank you!”

**Good to see you! Er … why?”**

**Mandy nodded** **to Harry. “Gambling in front of her son.” She turned to Arthur. “I don’t believe we’ve met.**

**Amanda Cotswold; a friend of Lily’s.”**

“Didn’t we say last book that Lily babysat the twins?” Mandy asked.

“You did.” _Sirius_ confirmed. “But it was always Molly who dropped them off.”

**“And Arabella Figg; same.” Arabella put in.**

**Arthur shook their hands. “Arthur Weasley.”**

**“I just remembered a promise I made to James if Harry’s first professional Quidditch game happened without him.” Mandy continued, holding up a camera with a cheerful smile.**

“Oh!” Hermione dived into her bag. “I have that picture! No, I don’t.”

There was another flash of light and Harry picked it up. “But I do.”

“That doesn’t sound like something I’d ask for.” James commented as the photograph was passed around. “Lily, definitely, but something tells me that wasn’t the promise.”

**“Scrunch together everyone and smile!”**

**“That was the promise?” Hermione asked, once the photo had been taken.**

**“No.” Arabella admitted.**

James smirked. “Told you so.”

**She fished a few galleons out of her pocket and handed them to Harry. “Get yourself a souvenir.”**

“ _That_ sounds more like me.” James nodded. “Although he’s got the money …”

“It’s the principle of the thing.” Arabella finished. “I get it.”

**“You don’t need to …” Harry protested.**

**“Nonsense.” Arabella cut him off breezily. “It is my constitutional right as your God-Crazy-Cat-Lady.”**

The girls burst into giggles.

“I never understood that.” Harry admitted.

“Inside joke.” Lily told him, catching her breath. “You kind of had to be there.”

**“My what?” Harry asked.**

**“Another time.” Mandy grinned. “We need to go and rescue Remus from the matches.**

“I’m a half-blood, Mandy.” Remus reminded her. “I’m sure I can handle it.”

**Enjoy the game everyone!”**

**They waved until they were out of earshot, then Bagman turned back to Arthur. “So what do you say?”**

Lily rolled her eyes. “I see you two made an impression.”

**“Oh … go on then.” Arthur relented. “Let’s see … a galleon on Ireland to win.”**

**“A galleon?” Bagman looked a bit disappointed, but recovered quickly. “Very well; any other takers?”**

“They’re children!” Lily hissed.

“Bill, Charlie and Percy aren’t.” James pointed out fairly.

**“They’re a bit young to be gambling.” Arthur pointed out. “Molly wouldn’t like …”**

**“We’ll bet thirty-seven galleons, fifteen sickles and three knuts,” Fred interrupted, as he and George quickly pooled all their money, “that Ireland wins – but Viktor Krum gets the Snitch.**

There was a sharp intake of breath.

“That’s a risky bet.” Regulus commented. “But it might just work.”

“How so?” James asked. “That hardly ever happens.”

“But the book’s mentioned that Ireland has a particularly strong team and that Bulgaria has a particularly good Seeker.” Regulus pointed out. “It’s possible.”

**Oh, and we’ll throw in a fake wand.”**

**“Is that possible?” Hermione asked quietly, while Fred dug around in his pockets for the wand.**

**Harry nodded. “If Krum gets the Snitch when Ireland are more than a hundred and fifty points ahead.”**

**“You don’t want to be showing Mr. Bagman rubbish like that!” Percy hissed, when Fred had finally extracted it, but Bagman didn’t seem to think it was rubbish at all.**

“Man after our own hearts.” James chuckled. “Why don’t you like him?”

Fred scowled. “I’ll tell you later.”

**On the contrary, his boyish face shone with excitement as he took the wand from Fred and, when it gave a loud squawk and turned into a rubber chicken, he roared with laughter.**

**“Excellent! I haven’t seen one that convincing in years! I’d pay five galleons for that!”**

“Who wouldn’t?” James asked.

**Percy froze in what seemed to be stunned disapproval.**

**“Boys …” Arthur murmured. “I don’t want you betting … that’s all your savings … your mother …”**

“I’m surprised Molly didn’t kill you.” _Sirius_ commented.

“She never found out.” Fred told him.

**“Don’t be such a spoilsport, Arthur!” Bagman boomed, rattling his pockets excitedly. “They’re old enough to know what they want!”**

“You weren’t of age though, were you?” Lily asked.

“No.” Fred admitted. “But we would be the next April.”

**Ginny frowned. “I don’t think he should be encouraging them.”**

“He shouldn’t be.” David agreed.

**Ron hushed her. “It has to be legal, Gin …**

“It’s legal.” David admitted, when everyone turned to him. “But not advised.”

**… or he wouldn’t let them. And they might actually be on to something.”**

**“You recon Ireland will win, but Krum will get the Snitch?” Bagman repeated with a grin. “Not a chance, boys, not a chance … I’ll give you excellent odds on that one. We’ll add five galleons for the wand, shall we?”**

**Arthur shrugged helplessly at Bill and Charlie …**

“He could stop them.” James pointed out.

“No, Dad tends to pick his battles.” Ginny shrugged.

**… as Bagman jotted the twins’ names down in a notebook.**

**“Cheers.” George took the slip of parchment and tucked it away inside his shirt.**

**Bagman turned cheerfully back to Arthur. “Couldn’t do me a brew, I suppose? I’m keeping an eye out for Barty Crouch. My Bulgarian opposite number’s making difficulties and I can’t understand a word he’s saying.**

Hermione hid a smile, remembering the Bulgarian Minister’s response to Cornelius Fudge.

**Barty’ll be able to sort it out. He speaks about a hundred and fifty languages.”**

“That’s impressive.” James commented.

**Hermione was about to comment on this, when Percy suddenly abandoned his poker-stiff stance of disapproval and began practically writhing with excitement.**

“Writhing with excitement?” Jen repeated in amusement. “Really?”

**“Mr. Crouch? He speaks over two hundred! Mermish and Gobbledegook and Troll …”**

**“Anyone can speak Troll.” Fred interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. “All you do is point and grunt.”**

The Marauders laughed and James, being closest, gave Fred a high-five.

**Percy gave Fred a nasty look and vigorously stoked the fire.**

**“Any sign of Bertha Jorkins?” Arthur asked, as Bagman settled himself next to them on the ground.**

**“Not a dickey bird!” Bagman answered, cheerfully.**

“You’d think he’d be a bit more concerned.” Lily frowned.

**“But she’ll turn up. Poor old Bertha … memory like a leaky cauldron …**

“That’s not Bertha.” _Addie_ stated. “She had an excellent memory.”

“How do you know her?” Remus asked. “I can’t think who she is.”

 _Addie_ turned slightly pink and glanced at _Sirius_. “It’s a … long story.”

**… and no sense of direction. Lost, you take my word for it! She’ll wander back into the office in October, thinking that it’s still July.”**

**“You don’t think it might be time to send someone to look for her?” Arthur suggested tentatively, handing Bagman his tea.**

**“Barty Crouch keeps saying that!” Bagman admitted, his eyes widening. “But we really can’t spare anyone at the moment …**

“Surely the safety of a young woman is more important than Quidditch!” Lily protested. “Why haven’t DMLE launched an investigation yet?”

“There’s no proof she’s missing.” David answered. “Especially since she’s abroad.”

**… Ah, talk of the devil! Barty!”**

**A wizard had just apparated next to the campfire; a wizard who couldn’t possibly have made more of a contrast with Ludo Bagman, sprawled on the ground in his Quidditch robes. Crouch was a stiff, upright, elderly man dressed in an impeccably crisp suit and tie, with an almost unnaturally straight parting in his grey hair and a moustache that looked as though it had been trimmed using a slide-rule.**

“Sounds boring.” James commented. “No wonder Padfoot doesn’t like him.”

 _Sirius_ smiled weakly. “Trust me, Prongs; I wish that was the reason.”

**Hermione exchanged a disbelieving glance with Harry. It was clear that he too had seen why Percy idolised him: Percy was a strict believer in following the rules and Crouch had complied with the rule of Muggle-dressing so thoroughly, that Hermione doubted that even a Muggle aware of the magical world would have guessed Crouch for what he really was.**

“He was very well disguised.” Harry conceded. “I don’t think even Uncle Vernon would have guessed.”

**“Pull up a bit of grass, Barty!” Bagman offered brightly, patting the ground beside him.**

**“No, thank you, Ludo.” Crouch said impatiently. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. The Bulgarians are insisting we add another twelve seats to the Top Box.”**

**“Oh, is that what they’re after?” Bagman asked. “I thought the chap was asking to borrow a pair of tweezers. Bit of a strong accent.”**

“How on earth do you get those two mixed up?” Remus asked incredulously.

**“Mr. Crouch!” Percy had sunk into a kind of half-bow that made him look rather like a hunchback, in Hermione’s opinion. “Would you like a cup of tea?”**

“Suck-up.” Jen ‘coughed’ again.

**“Oh!” Crouch seemed surprised to see Percy there. “Yes – thank you, Weatherby.”**

“And he can’t even get his name right.” Sirius sniggered.

**Fred, George, Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny snorted into their own cups, while Percy, red around the ears, busied himself with the kettle. Bill and Charlie were too mature to laugh at something so trivial, but they were still smirking at him.**

**“Oh, and I’ve been wanting a word with you too, Arthur.” Crouch added. “Ali Bashir’s on the warpath. He wants a word with you about your embargo on flying carpets.”**

“There’s always one.” Regulus sighed.

“It’d be a good idea if Muggles couldn’t get hold of them.” David added.

“Why can’t they just be given a Muggle-repelling Charm?” Lily asked.

“Well, because …” David trailed off. “Actually, Lily, that’s a very good question.”

“Because they wear off too regularly and you need Ministry approval to cast them.” Regulus answered. “Mother had to apply for new permission to cover Grimmauld Place.”

“Do we have Ministry approval?” Hermione asked curiously.

“No.” _Sirius_ answered. “But then, as far as the Ministry are concerned, the place doesn’t exist anymore.”

**Arthur sighed heavily. “I sent him an owl about that just last week! If I’ve told him once, I’ve told him a hundred times: carpets are defined as a Muggle Artefact by the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects, but will he listen?”**

**“I doubt it.” Crouch took the cup from Percy. “He’s desperate to import here.”**

**“Well, they’ll never replace brooms in Britain, will they?” Bagman asked.**

“No.” James and Sirius answered.

**“Ali thinks there’s a niche in the market for a family vehicle.” Crouch explained.**

“Well … that’s true.” David conceded. “But most people floo everywhere or take the Knight Bus.”

**“I remember that my grandfather had an Axminster that could seat twelve – but that was before carpets were banned of course.” He added sharply, as though not wanting leave anybody in any doubt that his family had always abided strictly by the rules.**

“His son says that.” Alice commented.

Harry nearly choked. “Really?”  
Alice nodded. “Yeah, he’s a few years below us, Hufflepuff. I tutor him in Herbology sometimes.”

Neville seemed ready to have a heart attack, but he hid it well.

**“So, been keeping busy, Barty?” Bagman asked breezily.**

**“Fairly.” Crouch answered dryly.**

_Sirius_ snorted. “Who knew he had a sense of humour?”

 _Addie_ squeezed his hand to get his attention. He glanced at her and she raised an eyebrow, silently asking permission. He nodded slightly and she concentrated, his voice floating into her head. _“He was the one who sent me to Azkaban – without trial.”_

 _Addie_ gasped. “Bastard! You know what – that’s too kind – it’s an insult to all the others. I could … why that …”

“Calm down.” _Sirius_ soothed, tweaking her hair gently. “I think you’re scaring people.”

“What did he do?” Addie whispered.

Her future counterpart shook her head grimly. “Don’t ask.”

**“Organising Portkeys across five continents is no mean feat, Ludo.”**

**“I suppose you’ll both be glad when this is over?” Arthur offered.**

**“Glad?” Bagman repeated incredulously. “Don’t know when I’ve had more fun! Still it’s not as though we haven’t got anything to look forward to, eh, Barty? Eh? Plenty left to organise, eh?”**

James raised an eyebrow. “Think that’s the Top Secret event that Percy was on about?”

**Hermione glanced at Harry, Ron and Ginny; the latter shrugged in confusion.**

**“We agreed not to make the announcement until all the details …”**

**“Oh, details!” Bagman interrupted, dismissing the word easily. “They’ve all signed, haven’t they? They’ve agreed, haven’t they? I bet you anything these kids’ll know soon enough. I mean, it’s happening at Hogwarts …”**

Jen looked thoughtful. “So it’s something to do with Hogwarts that involves Magical Games and Sports _and_ International Cooperation. Any ideas?”

“Only one.” David frowned. “But that can’t be it – it’s been banned for over a century.”

**“Ludo, we need to meet the Bulgarians, you know.” Crouch cut him off sharply …**

“Well, whatever it is, Crouch doesn’t want it getting out yet.” Sirius commented.

**… handing his un-drunk tea back to Percy. “Thank you for the tea, Weatherby.”**

**Bagman struggled to his feet, swigging down the last of his tea, the gold in his pockets clinking merrily. “See you all later! You’ll be up in the Top Box with me; I’m commentating!” He waved, Crouch nodded curtly and the two wizards disapparated.**

**“What’s happening at Hogwarts, Dad?” Fred asked at once. “What’s happening?”**

“They’re not going to tell you.” Remus predicted.

**Arthur smiled mysteriously. “You’ll find out soon enough.”**

**“It’s classified information, until such time as the Ministry decides to release it.” Percy added stiffly. “Mr. Crouch was quite right not to disclose it.”**

**George groaned. “Oh, shut up, Weatherby.”**

There were a few snickers as Fred grinned in remembrance. “He beat me to it.” He said ruefully. “Right, who’s next?”


	12. Chapter Ten - The Quidditch World Cup

“I think I’d better.” Alice decided. “Since this probably has the match and someone’s got to keep the fans calm.”

“You don’t like flying then, Mum?” Neville asked quietly.

Alice chuckled. “I’m a decent flier, but I prefer having my feet firmly on the ground.”

Neville grinned. “Me too.”

“Frank, on the other hand,” she added with a smirk, “seems to only have to look at a broom and he falls over.”

**Chapter Ten**

**The Quidditch World Cup**

“Alice, can you read French?” Hermione asked suddenly.

“I can read it, but I’m not fluent.” Alice told her. “Why?”

“Comes up.” Hermione answered vaguely, catching Draco’s eye. She tapped her head and he closed his eyes, apparently catching on to her warning that his emotions could well be about to get broadcast.

**That evening, pushing the encounter with Bagman and Crouch and what might possibly be happening at Hogwarts out of their minds, Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys took their seats in the Top Box …**

“You were in the _Top Box_?” James groaned enviously.

“Yep.” Harry answered casually. “Great view.”

**… clutching their souvenirs. All of them had green shamrocks attached to their hats that were screaming the names of the Irish players, but Ron had bought a tiny model of Viktor Krum as well.**

“Which ended up snapped under my bed.” Harry added under his breath.

Hermione put a hand over her mouth to hide the smile that slid onto her face.

**Harry had insisted on buying the four of them a pair of Omnioculars each, assuring Ron that he wouldn’t be buying him any Christmas presents for the next ten years in compensation (Ginny and Hermione just hadn’t complained).**

“Well, of course not.” Ginny rolled her eyes. “That’s just the way Harry is. If he wants to buy us things, then why not let him?”

“I’m glad.” Harry told her. “I like being able to do things like that.”

“Don’t worry about it, mate.” Fred assured him. “Ron’s just touchy.”

**Hermione wasn’t paying much attention to anything other than the massive stadium they were sitting in and the excitement in the air – it wasn’t as bad as she’d thought – until Harry spoke.**

**“Dobby?!”**

“No way …” Remus muttered.

**Hermione and Ron’s heads whipped around. They’d never met the house-elf who had tried to save Harry’s life and ended up putting him in more danger than he would have been otherwise, but the house-elf seemed confused.**

**“Did sir just call me Dobby?” She squeaked from between her fingers.**

“Not Dobby then.” Lily concluded.

**“Sorry.” Harry said. “I just thought you were someone I knew.”**

“Well, the chances of it being Dobby were rather low.” James commented.

Harry shrugged. “I didn’t know how many house-elves there were back then.”

**“But I knows Dobby too, sir!” The elf squeaked.**

“Small world.” Jen remarked.

**She was shielding her face, even though the Box wasn’t brightly lit. “My name is Winky, sir, and you … You is surely Harry Potter!”**

**“Yeah, I am.” Harry grinned.**

“About time you had a proper response.” Fred joked. “Better than ‘oh, him’.”

Harry rolled his eyes, remembering the incident. “Shut up.”

**“But Dobby talks about you all the time, sir!” Winky said, lowering her hands slightly.**

“I bet he does.” Jen commented. “Given the circumstances.”

**“How is he?” Harry asked. “How’s freedom suiting him?”**

**“Ah, sir,” Winky shook her head. “Ah, sir, meaning no disrespect, sir, but I is not sure you did Dobby a favour, sir, when you is setting him free.”**

“Why not?” Lily asked in confusion.

“Most house-elves don’t take freedom well.” James explained quietly.

**“Why?” Harry asked, clearly taken aback. “What’s wrong with him?”**

**“Freedom is going to Dobby’s head, sir.” Winky answered sadly. “Ideas above his station, sir. Can’t get another position, sir.”**

**“Why not?” Harry pressed.**

**Winky lowered her voice. “He is wanting paying for his work, sir!”**

Regulus winced. “Yeah, that’s not good.”

“Well, why shouldn’t he get paid?” Lily asked practically. “If we hired human cleaners or cooks, they’d expect to be paid.”  
“I agree with you,” Regulus said, to everyone’s surprise, “but the majority of families would rather take on a house-elf that _doesn’t_ want paying.”

**Hermione looked at Ron in confusion and saw that he was nodding in understanding.**

**“Paying?” Harry repeated blankly. “Well, why shouldn’t he be paid?”**

“Ah, there’s the Lily in him.” Jen said cheerfully. “I was beginning to think she got lost.”

Remus chuckled affectionately. “You’ve got a strange sense of humour sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Sirius questioned in an undertone.

**Winky looked horrified and covered her face again. “House-elves is not being paid, sir! No, no, no. I says to Dobby, I says, go and find yourself a nice family and settle down, Dobby. He is getting up to all sorts of high-jinks, sir, what is unbecoming to a house-elf. You goes racketing around like this, Dobby, I says, and next thing I hear you’s up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, like some common goblin!”**

James pulled a face. “So you’ve gone from Dobby at one extreme to Winky at the other. Not the best experience with house-elves.”

**“Well, it’s about time he had a bit of fun.” Harry maintained.**

**“House-elves is not supposed to have fun, Harry Potter.” Winky stated firmly. “House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Harry Potter,” she glanced at the edge of the Box and gulped, “but my master is sending me to the Top Box and I comes, sir.”**

“That’s horrible!” Lily protested.

**“Why’d he send you up here if you don’t like heights?” Harry asked the question that was flashing in Hermione’s head and making her blood boil.**

“Probably doesn’t realise she has fears.” James stated grimly.

**“Master … master wants me to save him a seat, Harry Potter, he is very busy.” Winky tilted her head to the empty seat next to her.**

Hermione narrowed her eyes. That seat wasn’t empty.

**“Winky is wishing she is back in master’s tent, Harry Potter, but Winky does as she is told. Winky is a good house-elf.” She cast another frightened look at the edge of the Box and closed her eyes completely.**

_Which would allow that bastard to steal my wand._ Harry stifled a sigh. It was bizarre hearing about everything with hindsight.

**“So that’s a house-elf.” Ron muttered. “Weird things, aren’t they?”**

“Not usually.” David smiled slightly. “But she is a little strange, yes.”

**“Dobby was weirder.” Harry told him.**

“True.” James conceded.

**Hermione frowned and began skimming through her programme, while Ron tested his Omnioculars. “Weird!” He said, twiddling a knob on the side. “I can make that guy down there pick his nose again … and again … and again.”**

Arabella rolled her eyes. “And here we have the maturity levels of the average fourteen-year-old boy.”

**Hermione was about to make a disgusted comment, when something in the velvet-covered programme caught her eye. “‘A display from the team mascots will precede the match.’”**

**“Oh, that’s always interesting.” Arthur agreed. “National teams bring creatures from their native land, you know, to put on a bit of a show.”**

“That should be interesting.” Lily commented. “I wonder what they’ll bring.”  
“Well Ireland will bring leprechauns probably.” Jen said. “Always a crowd-pleaser. Bulgaria … can’t think of anything off the top of my head.”

**Over the next thirty minutes, the box filled around them and Mr. Weasley shook hands with several obviously important people. Percy reminded Hermione of a Muggle jack-in-the-box.**

“A what?” Narcissa asked.

“It’s a box with a handle on the side.” Hermione explained. “You crank the handle and the lid pops open and plays a tune while a puppet on a spring jumps out at you. It’s a child’s toy.”

“And that’s considered entertainment?” Regulus asked sceptically.

“Well, apparently it’s rather amusing when you’re four.” Hermione said dryly.

**He kept jumping up and down to greet people.**

**When Cornelius Fudge arrived, he greeted Harry like a favourite nephew …**

Harry snorted, but didn’t say anything.

**… much to the annoyance of Percy, who had bowed so low that his glasses had shattered.**

James pulled a face. “I’d joke, but I feel his pain.”

**Fudge seemed to be having some trouble with the Bulgarian Minister.**

**“Harry Potter! You do know who he is!” He repeated, loudly for the fifteenth time.**

“Did he?” James asked.

Hermione nodded. “Yeah, he’s pretty much famous everywhere. Not _so_ much in America, because Voldemort never got over there, but in Europe, definitely.

**“He’s not going to suddenly understand.” Ron muttered to Harry. “Show him your scar, why don’t you?”  
Harry self-consciously flattened his hair over his scar. “I’d rather not.”**

“Would have been quicker.” James pointed out.

Harry pulled a face. “Probably.” He conceded. “But I hate it when people stare at my scar.”

**“Harry Potter!”**

**Hermione stood up suddenly …**

What are you going to do?” Lily asked curiously

 **… her head pounding.** **“ _Excuse-moi, Monsieur. Parlez-vous français?_ ”**

“Good evening, sir. Do you speak French?” Hermione translated. “I had to do something or I’d end up hitting Fudge – he was giving me a headache.”

 **The Bulgarian Minister nodded. “ _Ah, oui._** **_Je parle anglais aussi, mais votre ministre est un idiot._ ** **_Vous semblez pour avoir un cerveau. Peut-être que vous pourriez traduire, Mademoiselle?_ ** **”**

As all the Blacks – having been forced to take French lessons growing up – fell about laughing (or merely snickered, in Regulus and Narcissa’s cases), Hermione smirked. “Ah, yes. I speak English as well, but your Minister is an idiot.”

Everyone else began laughing.  
“You seem to have a brain.” Hermione continued. “Perhaps you could translate, Miss.”

**“Certainement.”**

“Certainly.” Hermione put in.

**Hermione turned to Fudge. “Sir, he doesn’t speak a word of English …**

Harry gasped. “Hermione!”

Hermione shrugged, a glint in her eye. “Who am I to ruin the man’s fun?”

**… but he’s fluent in French. Would you like me to translate?” She didn’t intend to volunteer, but Fudge was being unnecessarily loud and her head wasn’t thanking him for it …**

“No, it wasn’t.” Hermione muttered.

**… with the already heightened emotions around them.**

**Despite the annoyance in the air …**

“Of course.” Ginny sneered. “Can’t have a Muggle-born interacting with the Ministers, can we?”

“Is Fudge that prejudiced?” David asked with a frown.

“You heard the book.” Fred scowled. “Dad’s really popular in the Ministry, but his department consists of two wizards in a room the size of a broom cupboard. Fudge won’t begrudge them any more space.”

**… Fudge sighed in relief. “Thank you, young lady. I’m no good with languages; no good at all. I really need old Barty for this.”**

**Hermione turned back to the Bulgarian Minister – Mr. Oblansk – and introduced herself and Harry, then, at Fudge’s request, everyone else in the box. Mr. Oblansk seemed to be entertaining himself by insulting everyone in French …**

“I like this guy.” James decided with a grin.

**… except for the Weasleys, whom he seemed to like …**

“He didn’t like Percy though.” Hermione put in. “He liked the rest of you because you weren’t trying to suck up.”

**… and Hermione had to fight not to laugh.**

**It wasn’t long, however, before an unwelcome – to her, at least – visitor entered the box: Lucius Malfoy and his wife and son.**

Draco grimaced. “Here we go.”

**Hermione barely heard Lucius introducing his wife and son to Fudge; she was focusing on the emotions around him.**

Hermione blushed slightly. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Narcissa told her. “That’s what I’d do in that situation.”

**He obviously felt himself better than Fudge …**

“Well, irritatingly, he’s got a point.” _Sirius_ admitted with a grimace.

**… then again, who wasn’t – and, oddly enough, there was very little affection towards his wife and son.**

“Betrothal.” Narcissa stated without a hint of concern. “Affection would have had nothing to do with it.”

Jen sighed, nestling into Remus’s arms. “I couldn’t live like that.”

**Mrs. Malfoy – Narcissa, Hermione remembered from her extra reading in the library, one of Sirius’s cousins – felt no affection towards her husband at all, but seemed to dote on her son.**

Narcissa smiled, squeezing Draco’s hand.

**And Draco … Hermione wasn’t sure whether to be worried or relieved that he appeared to hate his father, although he did still love his mother.**

“Relieved.” Draco and Narcissa told her.

**She was shaken back to reality when Fudge addressed her.**

**“I’m sorry, young lady; I didn’t catch your name.**

“That’s because you didn’t bother to ask for it.” Hermione muttered, rolling her eyes.

**A charming young lady offered to translate for me. This is Minister Oblansk of Bulgaria.”**

**Hermione didn’t bother telling Fudge her name; she knew he didn’t really want to know. Seeing Lucius sneering at her, she focused her energy on keeping her expression blank instead.**

“You did a good job.” Draco told her.

**“ _Monsieur Oblansk, permettez-moi de présenter Lucius Malfoy, sa femme, Narcissa, et leur fils, Draco._ ”**

Hermione didn’t bother to translate that sentence – it spoke for itself.

 **Mr. Oblansk shook their hands and turned to Hermione.** **“ _Mademoiselle, pourquoi est-il ici? Il est un Mangemort. Même je sais ceci. Et pourquoi pas il vous aime?_ ”**

Narcissa raised an eyebrow. “Oh, that’s interesting.”

“Very.” Hermione agreed.

“What did he say?” Lily asked.

“Why is he here?” Hermione recited. “Then a sentence I didn’t quite understand. Followed by ‘even I know this and why doesn’t he like you?’”  
“What was the sentence you didn’t understand?” James asked.

“It says in a minute.” Alice told him.

**Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Lucius and Draco looking lost, but Narcissa seemed … worried?**

“I doubt worried.” Narcissa commented.

**Hermione tested the air. Not worry, but an odd kind of triumph.**

Narcissa smirked slightly. “That sounds more likely.”

**Clearly, she understood, but Hermione had no idea what one of the words meant. _Hang on. “Manger” is “to eat” and “Mort” is “death”. So “Mangemort” must mean “Death Eater”._**

“Very good.” Narcissa confirmed.

“You’re right.” David agreed. “That’s very interesting.”

**“ _Oui, il était, mais maintenant il est un bon ami de Monsieur Fudge._ ”**

“That was decent of you.” Draco commented. “Mother told me later.”

Hermione shrugged. “No evidence.” Catching the others’ expressions, she smiled. “Yes, he was, but now he’s a good friend of Mr. Fudge.”

“Ambiguous.” David remarked. “Could mean he reformed, could not. You’d do well in politics.”

**Hermione paused, wondering how to answer the second question. She glanced at Narcissa. The emotions around her led Hermione to believe that she could trust her.**

“You can.” Narcissa stated. “At least, at the moment you can, and I’m hoping that doesn’t change.”

 **Should she stain the whole family in Mr. Oblansk’s eyes because of the head?** **“ _Je ne sais pas pourquoi il ne m’aime pas._ ”**

“I don’t know why he doesn’t like me.” Hermione supplied. “Of course, I don’t know how to say ‘I’m Muggle-born’ in French, so that had something to do with it.”

**Surprise and gratitude flared in the air and on Narcissa’s face for a second, before her expression was back to one of carefully schooled neutrality.**

**Just then, Ludo Bagman bounded into the Top Box. Fudge thanked Hermione casually and sat down, but Mr. Oblansk shook her hand once more.** **“ _Merci beaucoup encore, Mademoiselle. Appréciez le jeu._ ”**

“Thank you again, Miss. Enjoy the game.”

**“ _Merci. Et vous aussi._ ”**

“Thank you. And you as well.”

**Hermione bowed her head respectfully and re-joined Harry and the Weasleys, grinning at the look of shock on their faces.**

“We had no idea she could do that.” Fred smirked.

“I like to keep my cards close to my chest.” Hermione said with a smile.

**“Since when do you speak French?” Ginny asked.**

**Hermione laughed. “My cousin lives in France.”**

“Whereabouts?” Lily asked curiously.

“Nice.” Hermione answered.

Lily smiled. “Oh, it’s lovely down there.”

**“Everyone ready?” Bagman asked, his face shining like a large Edam.**

Regulus chuckled. “There’s a description.”

“Accurate though.” Harry commented.

**“Minister, ready to go?”**

**“Ready when you are, Ludo.” Fudge said comfortably.**

**Ludo directed his wand at his throat. “ _Sonorous_.” When he spoke again, his voice carried over the roar of sound filling the stadium. “Ladies and gentlemen … welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!”**

The Quidditch fans cheered and Lily sighed. “Look, I get that you’re all very excited but can we try to keep the commenting down to a minimum? Otherwise we’ll still be here when I give birth.”  
Harry grimaced. “There’s an image I really didn’t need, Mum.”

**The spectators cheered and screamed. Special flags waved, adding the two national anthems to the racket. The giant board opposite the Top Box, currently advertising Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, wiped clean and flashed _Bulgaria: Zero; Ireland: Zero_ across the crowd.**

**“And now, without further ado,” Bagman announced, “allow me to introduce the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!”**

**While the right hand side of the stadium roared their approval, Arthur leaned forwards. “I wonder what they’ve brought. Ah!” He whipped his glasses off and wiped them hurriedly. “Veela!”**

James, Remus and Sirius exchanged a quick glance and determinedly kept their mouths shut, but Regulus smirked. “That’ll be interesting.”

“What are Veela?” Lily asked.

Jen frowned. “Well, I wouldn’t call them ‘creatures’. They’re women, very, very beautiful women, who possess an incredibly strong allure that causes men to … not really fall in love with them, but they cause men to lose control of their free-will and … it’s difficult to explain.”

**Hermione and Ginny exchanged a confused look as a hundred Veela glided onto the pitch; women with pale blonde hair, who were just too beautiful to be human. And then they began to dance.**

“It’s the dance that gets people.” David explained. “That’s usually what pushes the allure, with the music.”

“Can you block it?” Lily asked.

“Men who have particularly strong minds can.” David told her. “As well as men who are already in love.”

**Ginny shrugged at Hermione. Neither of the two girls could see what was so amazing about the Veela, except they were clearly more attractive than either of them.**

Harry frowned. “I don’t think comparing yourselves against Veela is fair. You’re both beautiful.”

Hermione and Ginny both blushed, and Lily beamed proudly. “That’s my boy.”

**Hermione was momentarily distracted by a note being pushed into her hand from behind her.**

“Who’d give you a note at a time like that?” Lily asked.

“Well …” Jen said slowly. “It would have to be someone who couldn’t talk to her at any other time, which rules out the Weasleys and Harry. It’s unlikely to be a man, because they’d have been hit with the Veela allure, unless they’d blocked their ears, but I doubt it … So someone who was taking advantage of her male companions’ distraction …”

“You think it’s me?” Narcissa concluded. “Possible, I suppose.”

**She looked back, but no one seemed to be watching to see if she’d received it.**

“Not even me?” Narcissa asked.

Hermione bit back a smirk. “You were talking to Draco. I wasn’t sure what you were saying at the time, but looking back, you might have been trying to stop him doing anything stupid.”

“Like what?” Lily frowned.

**She shoved the note into her pocket, before glancing at Harry to tell him what had happened, but the note was instantly forgotten as her blood ran cold.**

“Why?” Addie asked quickly.

**Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George had their hands over their ears, but Ron and Harry hadn’t bothered.**

“No one warned us.” Harry muttered.

“Too much fun, little bro.” Fred told him casually.

**Ron was in a spring-board position and Harry was standing with one leg on the wall of the Box, as though he was about to jump.**

“Like that.” Hermione smirked.

Lily gasped. “Harry!”

Harry winced. “Sorry, Mum. Wasn’t thinking.”

“It would have been the Veela, Lily.” Jen told her, looking faintly amused. “And I’m sure Hermione won’t let him actually jump.”

**“Harry, what are you doing?” Hermione asked in alarm.**

**The Veela had stopped dancing and the stadium was filled with angry shouts. Harry shook his head slowly, taking his leg off the wall, but stayed standing. Ron was mindlessly shredding the shamrock on his hat, staring open-mouthed at the Veela.**

“You managed to shake the allure quicker than Ron.” Hermione commented.

**Arthur tugged the hat out of Ron’s hand with a smile. “You’ll be wanting that once Ireland have their say.”**

**“Huh?” Ron asked eloquently, still gawping.**

Jen rolled her eyes. “Boys.”

**Hermione tutted and tugged Harry back into his seat, hitting him over the back of his head for good measure.**

Lily smirked. “Thank you, Hermione.”

**“Honestly!”**

**“And now!” Bagman roared. “The Irish National Team Mascots!”**

**What appeared to be a green and gold comet …**

“You were right, Jen.” Sirius grinned. “Leprechauns.”

“Well, what else were they going to bring?” Jen asked rhetorically. “Banshees?”

**… came hurtling into the stadium and circled it once, before separating into two smaller comets. As the leprechauns flew up above the stadium to form a giant shamrock, gold showed over the crowd.**

**Ron shoved a fistful of gold coins into Harry’s hand. “There you go! For the Omnioculars! Now you’ve got to get me a Christmas present!”**

James grimaced. “Leprechaun gold vanishes after a few hours.”

“I didn’t notice.” Harry shrugged. “It was fine.”

“Yeah, but when Ron finds out, he’ll be …” James trailed off. “I don’t know.”

**The shamrock dissolved and the leprechauns settled on the other side of the pitch to watch the game.**

**Hermione took a deep breath and managed to block out the majority of the emotions around her. “Let the games begin.”**

“Again, boys, try to keep it to a minimum.” Lily requested.

Jen coughed pointedly.

“And girls.” Lily added.

**“And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome – the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you – Dimitrov!”**

**A scarlet-clad figure on a broomstick, moving so fast it was blurred, shot out onto the pitch from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Bulgarian supporters.**

**“Ivanova!”**

**A second scarlet-robed figure zoomed out.**

**“Zograg! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaand – _Krum_!”**

“There’s our prodigy.” Regulus muttered.

**“That’s him, that’s him!” yelled Ron, following Krum with his Omnioculars; Hermione and Harry quickly focused their own.**

**Viktor Krum was thin, dark and sallow-skinned, with a large curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He looked like an overgrown bird of prey.**

“Mind you, that’s what you look like.” Hermione said to Harry. “I don’t know whether it’s the mark of a good Seeker or a good flier.”

**It was hard to believe he was only eighteen.**

“I still can’t get over that.” James muttered.

**“And now, please greet the – the Irish National Quidditch Team!” yelled Bagman. “Presenting – Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaaand – _Lynch_!”**

The Quidditch fans cheered.

**Seven green blurs swept onto the pitch and Hermione, momentarily slowing them down through her Omnioculars, saw the word _Firebolt_ neatly printed on each of their brooms.**

“Wow!” James grinned. “I knew it was good, but …”

**“And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!”**

Hermione stifled a giggle. “Hakuna Matata.”

“What a wonderful phrase.” Harry agreed solemnly.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Careful – you’re confusing everyone again.”

“Muggle thing.” The two chorused with a smirk.

**As Hermione spun the dial on her Omnioculars to return to normal speed, a small and skinny wizard, completely bald, but with a very big, thick moustache …**

“Sounds attractive.” Arabella muttered.

“Oh yes.” Ginny agreed. “Women were swooning all over the stadium.”

“Yeah.” Hermione agreed. “From laughter.”

**… wearing robes of pure gold, strode out onto the pitch. A silver whistle was protruding from under the moustache, and he was carrying a large wooden crate under one arm, his broomstick under the other. Mostafa mounted his broomstick and kicked the crate open – four balls burst into the air: the scarlet Quaffle, the two black Bludgers and (though Hermione didn’t see it) the minuscule, winged, Golden Snitch.**

“I saw it.” Harry frowned. “For a split-second.”

“Then you must be an outstanding Seeker.” David commented.

**With a sharp blast on his whistle, Mostafa shot into the air after the balls.**

**“Theeeeeeeeey’re OFF!” screamed Bagman. “And it’s Mullet! Troy! Moran! Dimotrov! Back to Mulley! Troy! Levski! Moran!”**

“Couldn’t he be a bit more descriptive?” James frowned.

“Didn’t have the time.” Harry snorted. “You’re underestimating the Chasers.”

**Hermione had watched several Quidditch matches, but she had never seen anything like this before. The speed of the payers was incredible – the Chasers were throwing the Quaffle to each other so fast that Bagman only had time to say their names.**

James let out a low whistle. “Impressive.”

**“TROY SCORES!” roared Bagman, and the stadium shuddered with a roar of applause and cheers. “Ten – zero to Ireland!”**

**“What?” Harry yelled, looking wildly around through his Omnioculars. “But Levski’s got the Quaffle!”**

“You were watching the play-by-play, weren’t you?” Hermione asked knowingly.

“What was the play-by-play?” Regulus asked. “The Omnioculars we have now only have a slow-motion option.”

“Well, it slowed everything down.” Harry told him. “And then told you the name of the play or the strategy.”

**“Harry, if you’re not going to watch it at normal speed, you’re going to miss things!” shouted Hermione …**

“She’s right.” James nodded seriously.

Harry hid a smile. “Thanks, Dad.”

**… dancing up and down while Troy did a lap of honour of the pitch. The leprechauns watching from the side-lines had all risen into the air again and formed the great glittering shamrock. Across the pitch, the Veela were watching them sulkily as play resumed.**

**Hermione didn’t know much about Quidditch, but she knew enough to see that the Irish Chasers were superb. They worked as a seamless team, appearing to read each other’s minds by the way they positioned themselves …**

Jen groaned, catching sight of James’s face. “I’d better warn the others. The Captain’s plotting again.”

**… and within ten minutes, Ireland had scored twice more …**

Jen’s annoyance vanished and she straightened up. “Woah, that’s good!”

**… bringing their lead to thirty–zero, and causing a thunderous tide of roars and applause from the green-clad supporters.**

**The match became still faster, but more brutal.**

“Isn’t that always the way?” Sirius commented.

**Volkov and Vulchanov, the Bulgarian Beaters, were whacking the Bludgers as fiercely as possible at the Irish Chasers, and were starting to prevent them from using some of their best moves; twice they were forced to scatter, and then, finally, Ivanova managed to break through their ranks, dodge the keeper, Ryan, and score Bulgaria’s first goal. Thankfully, Harry and Ron stuffed their fingers in their ears this time …**

“Smart move.” Mandy sniggered.

**… until the Veela stopped dancing and play resumed, with Bulgaria once again in possession of the Quaffle.**

**“Dimitrov! Levski! Dimitrov! Ivanova – oh, I say!” roared Bagman.**

**One hundred thousand wizards and witches …**

“Blimey that’s a lot!” Lily cried. “There’s only room for a thousand at Hogwarts!”

**… gasped as the two Seekers, Krum and Lynch, plummeted through the centre of the Chasers, so fast that it looked as though they had just jumped from aeroplanes without parachutes.**

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Interesting analogy.”

“Accurate though.” Hermione defended. “Actually, Draco, that reminds me. In third year, that whole ‘attaching a parachute’ thing … do you even know what a parachute is?”

“It’s something that stops Muggles falling.” Draco answered. “Though why they need that …”

Hermione chuckled. “It’s too hard to explain.”

**Hermione couldn’t see the Snitch …**

“Neither could I.” Harry agreed.

**… even through the Omnioculars, but she could see something else. “They’re going to crash!”**

**She was half-right – at the very last second, Viktor Krum pulled out of the dive and spiralled off.**

“He was feinting.” Regulus realised.

**Lynch, however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium.**

James winced. “Ouch.”

**A huge groan rose from the Irish seats.**

**“Fool!” moaned Mr Weasley. “Krum was only feinting.”**

**“It’s time out!” yelled Bagman’s voice. “As trained medi-wizards hurry onto the pitch to examine Aidan Lynch!”**

**“He’ll be OK, he only got ploughed!” Charlie said reassuringly to Ginny, who was hanging over the side of the box, looking horror-struck. “Which is what Krum was after, after all, of course …”**

“Give himself time to search for the Snitch.” Regulus muttered.

**“A Wronski Feint.” Harry muttered, looking through his Omnioculars.**

James raised an eyebrow. “That’s the more dangerous – that’s why you mentioned it in the last book.”

Harry nodded. “I didn’t _think_ I’d already done it.”

**Hermione had seen Harry fool other Seekers like that at Hogwarts …**

Not exactly like that.” Hermione corrected herself.

**… especially when the other Seeker decided to tail him rather than look for the Snitch himself. But she had never seen anything like that.**

“Stop repeating yourself.” Ginny teased.

**Lynch got to his feet at last, to loud cheers from the green-clad supporters, mounted his Firebolt and kicked back off into the air. His revival seemed to give Ireland new heart. When Mostafa blew his whistle again, the Chasers moved into action with a skill unrivalled by anything Hermione had seen so far.**

**After fifteen more fast and furious minutes, Ireland had pulled ahead by ten more goals.**

Jen gaped at the book. While there were four members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team in the room, she was the only Chaser and, judging by the expression on James’s face, she was going to bear the brunt of his strategy rants when they next had a break.

**They were now leading by one hundred and thirty points to ten …**

“Just a little one-sided then.” Remus quipped.

**… and the game was starting to get dirtier.**

“Starting?” Draco repeated. “Were you watching the same game I was?”

“Probably.” Hermione smirked. “I was too busy watching you and Ron rooting for the same team.”

**As Mullet shot towards the goalposts yet again, clutching the Quaffle tightly under her arm, the Bulgarian Keeper, Zograf, flew out to meet her. Whatever happened was over so quickly, Hermione didn’t see it, but a scream of rage from the Irish crowd, and Mostafa’s long, shrill whistle blast, told her it had been a foul.**

“It was.” Harry scowled. “A bad one.”

**“And Mostafa takes the Bulgarian Keeper to task for cobbing – excessive use of elbows!” Bagman informed the roaring spectators. “And – yes, it’s a penalty to Ireland!”**

**The leprechauns, who had risen angrily into the air like a swarm of glittering hornets when Mullet had been fouled, now darted together to form the words ‘HA-HA-HA!’**

“They’re playing a dangerous game.” Jen grimaced. “You don’t want to anger Veela, if you can help it.”

**The Veela on the other side of the pitch leapt to their feet, tossed their hair angrily and started to dance again.**

“Block your ears, boys.” Arabella chuckled.

“Do I want to know what you’re thinking?” Mandy enquired, seeing the smirk on her face.

Arabella turned to Remus. “Do you think you blocked your ears? We could probably do with a laugh.”

As Remus blushed and everyone else chuckled, _Addie_ smirked. “Sorry to ruin your fun, but the Veela wouldn’t affect him, not with the soul bond.”

**As one, the Weasley boys and Harry stuffed their fingers in their ears, but Hermione didn’t bother …**

“Well, of course she didn’t.” Sirius rolled his eyes. “The allure only works on men.”  
“Does it target gender or sexuality?” Hermione asked absently. On seeing their expressions, she shrugged. “I’m just wondering if gay men would be just as affected.”

Harry gaped at her for a second. “What … Why … How did you come up with that?”

“They are.” Fred answered.

“How can you tell?” Hermione asked.

“Roger Davies.” Fred smirked. “Crooked as a lightning bolt …” he ducked Hermione’s slap “… and very susceptible to the Veela charm.”

**… and was soon tugging on Harry’s arm, staring at the pitch. He turned to look at her, and she pulled his fingers impatiently out of his ears.**

“Hermione!” Lily protested. “I don’t want my son to make a fool of himself.”  
“He doesn’t need Veela to do that.” Draco smirked.

“Shut up, Malfoy.” Harry shot back, taking the barb in the light-hearted way it had been intended.

**“Look at the referee!” she said, giggling.**

“Oh dear.” Jen giggled. “What now?”

**Hassan Mostafa had landed right in front of the dancing Veela, and was acting very oddly indeed. He was flexing his muscles and smoothing his moustache excitedly.**

**“Now, we can’t have that!” said Ludo Bagman, though he sounded highly amused. “Somebody slap the referee!”**

“And do it quickly,” Regulus added, “before the game descends into a free-for-all.”

**A medi-wizard came tearing across the pitch, his fingers stuffed in his own ears, and kicked Mostafa hard on the shins.**

“It looked hilarious.” Ginny laughed.

“Maybe a medi- _witch_ would have been better suited.” Lily chuckled.

**Mostafa seemed to come to himself, looking extremely embarrassed, and started shouting at the Veela, who has stopped dancing and were looking mutinous.**

“Uh oh.” Sirius sang. “This should be fun.”

**“And unless I’m very much mistaken, Mostafa is actually attempting to send off the Bulgarian Team Mascots!” said Bagman’s voice.**

“Can they even do that?” James asked.

Lily gasped, grabbing Harry’s arm. “Make a note, Harry. This may be the first and only time we find something about Quidditch your father doesn’t know.”

**“Now _there’s_ something we haven’t seen before … oh, this could turn nasty …”**

“It will.” Sirius predicted. “Let’s just hope the players get involved or it could get even worse.”

**It did: the Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov and Vulchanov, had landed either side of Mostafa, and began arguing furiously with him, gesticulating towards the leprechauns, who had now gleefully formed the words ‘HEE-HEE-HEE’.**

“While I’ll agree the leprechauns are being a little insufferable,” Narcissa drawled, “they’re hardly interfering with the game.”

**Mostafa was not impressed by the Bulgarians’ arguments, however; he was jabbing his finger into the air, clearly telling them to get flying again, and when they refused, he gave two short blasts on his whistle.**

James winced. “They won’t like that.”

**“ _Two_ penalties for Ireland!” shouted Bagman, and the Bulgarian crowd howled with anger. “And Volkov and Vulchanov had better get back on those brooms … yes … there they go … and Troy takes the Quaffle …”**

**Play now reached a level of ferocity beyond anything they had yet seen. The Beaters on both sides were acting without mercy: Volkov and Vulchanov in particular seemed not to care whether their clubs made contact with Bludger or human …**

Addie gave Sirius a meaningful look.

“What?” Sirius asked innocently. “I always make sure I hit the Bludger.”

“Unless we’re playing Slytherin,” she pointed out coolly, “in which case there tend to be a lot of ‘accidents’.”

“Now, be fair, Addie,” James said with a smile, watching his best friend deflate, “that hasn’t happened since fifth year …”

“… when, ironically enough, I was the Seeker.” Regulus added dryly. “Imagine that.”

**… as they swung them violently through the air. Dimitrov shot straight at Moran, who had the Quaffle, nearly knocking her off her broom.**

“Skinning.” James called. “That’s a foul.”

“Skinning?” Lily repeated.

“Deliberately flying to collide.” James elaborated.

 **_“Foul!”_ ** **roared the Irish supporters as one, all standing up in a wave of green.**

**“Foul!” echoed Ludo Bagman’s magically magnified voice. “Dimitrov skins Moran – deliberately flying to collide there – and it’s got to be another penalty – yes, there’s the whistle!”**

**The leprechauns had risen into the air again and, this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed across the pitch towards the Veela.**

Jen grimaced. “That’ll do it.”

**At this, the Veela lost control. They launched themselves across the pitch, and began throwing what seemed to be handfuls of fire at the leprechauns. Hermione pulled a face – they didn’t look remotely beautiful now.**

Lily raised an eyebrow.

“It’s part of their magic.” Jen explained. “Anger pushes them into a transformation.”

**On the contrary, their faces were elongating into sharp, cruel-beaked bird heads, and long, scaly wings were bursting from their shoulders …**

“Lovely.” Lily commented dryly.

**Hermione was reminded of the sirens in Greek mythology – she made a mental note to look them up and see if they really did exist.**

“They do.” Jen informed her. “But only in Greece.”

“Thanks.” Hermione smiled. “That completely slipped my mind.”

**“And _that_ , boys,” yelled Mr Weasley over the tumult of the crowd below, “is why you should never go for looks alone!”**

“Good advice.” Lily stated.

Harry squirmed under her gaze. “Yes, Mum.”

“Besides, when you find the right girl, it won’t matter.” James told him. “Lily happens to be the most beautiful girl in Hogwarts, but that’s not the reason I fell in love with her. And all those little things are what makes her beautiful to me.”

If Lily had been one to swoon, she would have done. As it was, she smiled, blushing prettily, and reached over to kiss his cheek.

“He’s right.” _Sirius_ said quietly to Harry. “Addie and her sister are identical. But she always outshone Leona to me.”  
 _Addie_ smiled, managing to keep all but a faint dusting of pink from her cheeks. “Careful, darling, or you’ll give everyone cavities. I thought we agreed that we’d stop doing that after the candy-floss incident.”

“What was the candy-floss incident?” Addie and Harry asked together, the latter with a grin, the former with a groan.

“A few weeks after we started dating, James and Remus decided we were just too nauseating.” _Addie_ told them with a smile. “So every time Sirius kissed me for a week, candy floss would start sprouting from his ears.”

Harry laughed, but, to be fair, so did most people.

**Ministry wizards were flooding onto the field to separate the Veela and the leprechauns, but with little success …**

“They’ll be talking about this one for years.” Regulus commented. “But not for the right reasons.”

**… meanwhile, the pitch battle below was nothing to the one above. Hermione turned this way and that, trying to keep up, as the Quaffle changed hands with the speed of a bullet …**

**“Levski – Dimitrov – Moran – Troy – Mullet – Ivanova – Moran again – Moran – MORAN SCORES!”**

**But the cheers of the Irish supporters were barely heard over the shrieks of the Veela, the blasts now issuing from the Ministry members’ wands, and the furious roars of the Bulgarians. The game recommenced immediately; now Levski had the Quaffle, now Dimitrov …**

**The Irish Beater Quigley swung heavily at a passing Bludger and hit it as hard as possible towards Krum, who did not duck quick enough. It hit him hard in the face.**

Everyone groaned, some from sympathy.

“Curse of the game.” James grimaced.

**There was a deafening groan from the crowd; Krum’s nose looked broken, there was blood everywhere, but Hassan Mostafa didn’t blow the whistle.**

“Why not?” Lily asked. “He’s injured.”

**He had become distracted, and Hermione couldn’t blame him; one of the Veela had thrown a handful of fire and set his broomstick alight.**

“That’d do it.” James smirked. “He’ll be alright, Lily. It’s just a broken nose.”

**Hermione wanted someone to realise Krum was injured …**

“Worried?” Fred asked, with a hint of a smirk.

Hermione didn’t grace that with a response.

**… even though she was supporting Ireland, she had seen Harry play too many times to be truly comfortable with the injuries that came with Quidditch. To her surprise, Ron apparently felt the same.**

“Nah, he was just the most interesting player on the pitch.” Harry told her.

**“Time out! Ah, come on, he can’t play like that, look at him …”**

**_“Look at Lynch!”_ ** **Harry yelled.**

**He was right – the Irish Seeker had suddenly gone into a dive …**

“Another feint?” James asked, leaning forwards.

**… and – although Hermione couldn’t tell – from the way Harry was jumping up and down, she was quite sure this was no Wronski Feint, or whatever it was called, this was the real thing.**

Regulus gave Harry an appraising look. “Have you ever thought of playing professionally?”

Harry blushed slightly, but shook his head. “I love Quidditch, but making it a career would put too much pressure on me – it’d take the fun out of the game. Besides, I’d rather stay close to home, rather than travel everywhere. I’ve spent too much time away from my family.”

Lily smiled proudly. “That’s my boy.” There was a hint of sadness in her tone, though – a fifteen-year-old should not be able to speak with such wisdom.

**“He’s seen the Snitch!” Harry shouted. “He’s seen it! Look at him go!”**

**Half the crowd seemed to have realised what was happening, the Irish supporters rose in a great wave of green, screaming their Seeker on … but Krum was on his tail. Hermione had no idea how he could see where he was going – there were flecks of blood flying through the air behind him …**

“A good Seeker can work through that.” James stated.

**… but he was drawing level with Lynch now, as the pair of them hurtled towards the ground again …**

**“They’re going to crash!” shrieked Hermione.**

**“They’re not!” roared Ron.**

**“Lynch is!” yelled Harry.**

**And once again, he was right – for the second time, Lynch hit the ground with tremendous force, and was immediately stampeded by a horde of angry Veela.**

“That probably hurt more than the crash.” Jen winced. “Poor guy. He’s really had a bad game, hasn’t he?”

“Are we sure he didn’t play for the Cannons?” Harry asked innocently.

**“The Snitch, where’s the Snitch?” bellowed Charlie, along the row.**

**“He’s got it – Krum’s got it – it’s all over!” shouted Harry.**

“So Bulgaria won.” James stated sadly.

“Don’t be so sure.” Regulus frowned. “They mentioned more Irish goals than Bulgarian – there’s still a chance.”

**Krum, his red robes shining with blood from his nose, was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a glint of gold in his hand.**

**The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY, IRELAND: ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY …**

“I don’t believe it.” James whispered. “The twins were right.”

“Wish we’d made a bet now.” Regulus grumbled.

“What did you spend your winnings on?” Lily asked.

Fred scowled. “Nothing. _Mr._ Bagman had his own gambling debts and paid us in leprechaun gold.”

There was a sharp gasp.

“He didn’t!” David frowned.  
“He did.” Fred confirmed. “Then refused to pay us because we were too young to be gambling in the first place.”

“No wonder you don’t like him.” Sirius muttered, put-out that his hero was dirty.

**… across the crowd, who didn’t seem to have realised what had happened.**

“I bet that was interesting.” Jen snickered.

**Then, slowly, as though a great jumbo jet was revving up …**

“A what was what?” Draco asked blankly.

“Muggle thing.” Hermione told him. “Explain later.”

**… the rumbling from the Ireland supporters grew louder and louder, and erupted into screams of delight.**

**“IRELAND WIN!” shouted Bagman, who, like the Irish, seemed to have been taken aback by the sudden end of the match. “KRUM GETS THE SNITCH – BUT IRELAND WIN – good Lord, I don’t think any of us were expecting that!”  
 _I know two people who were._ Hermione looked down the row to where Fred and George seemed to be dancing some kind of jig on the seats.**

Fred heaved a heavy sigh. “Back before the bubble burst.”

**“What did he catch the Snitch for?” Ron bellowed, even as he jumped up and down, applauding with his hands over his head. “He ended it when Ireland was a hundred and sixty points ahead, the idiot!”**

“Knew they weren’t going to catch up.” James answered heavily. “Wanted to end it on his terms.”

**“He knew they were never going to catch up,” Harry shouted back over all the noise, also applauding loudly, “the Irish chasers were too good … he wanted to end it on his terms, that’s all …”**

James and Harry exchanged a grin.

**“He was very brave, wasn’t he?” Hermione said, leaning forward to watch Krum land …**

“Do I detect a small crush?” Lily asked slyly.

Hermione chuckled. “No. Not at all. Harry’s my best friend – I can’t get sucked in by celebrity – it would make me a hypocrite.”

**… and the swarm of mediwizards blasting a path through the battling leprechauns and Veela to get to him. “He looks a terrible mess …”**

**Beside her, Harry aimed his Omnioculars at the pitch. It was hard to see what was happening down there, thanks to the leprechauns zooming all over the place but Krum was still recognisable, surrounded by medi-wizards. He looked surlier than ever, and refused to let them mop him up.**

“Now that’s just being stubborn.” Lily rolled her eyes. “What is it about men and injuries?”

“Not just men.” Remus told her, glancing at Jen. “I think it’s Quidditch players in general.”

Jen rolled her eyes. “Name one injury I’ve refused treatment for.”  
“This one.” Remus answered promptly, poking her side gently, where he knew a nasty scar resided. “I once heard McGonagall say that the Gryffindor team should play in different colours because you can’t see blood on red robes and we’re the most likely to keep playing.”

**His team-mates were around him, shaking their heads and looking dejected; a short way away, the Irish players were dancing gleefully in a shower of gold descending from their mascots. Flags were waving all over the stadium, the Irish national anthem blared from all sides …**

“What is the Irish national anthem?” Mandy asked.

“No idea.” Hermione admitted. “I just assumed that’s what it was.”

**… the Veela were shrinking back into their usual, beautiful selves now, though looking dispirited and forlorn.**

**“IRELAND WINS!” Bagman announced again, still sounding shocked. “KRUM GETS THE SNITCH, BUT IRELAND WINS!”**

“I think he thought if he said it enough it might change.” Fred commented darkly.

**“Vell, ve fought very bravely.” Mr. Oblansk sighed, as the cheers quietened slightly.**

**Fudge gasped. “You do speak English!” He turned to Hermione. “Did you know that?”**

**Hermione coughed. “No, sir.”**

“Did he buy it?” _Sirius_ asked.

“Oh yeah.” Hermione assured him. “Idiot that he is, he just went along with it.”

**To her immense relief, during the game, since she had shut her empathy off, it hadn’t been as painful as she’d thought it would be.**

**The Top Box was suddenly illuminated as the Cup was brought in, flanked by six security wizards.**

**As his team made their way up, Mr. Oblansk turned to Harry who was standing next to Hermione. “Mr. Potter, do you play Quidditch?”**

Harry smirked. “I’d almost forgotten this bit.”  
Hermione chuckled. “So had I.”

“What bit?” James asked.

**Harry seemed surprised at the question, but nodded. “Yes, sir. I play Seeker for my house team at Hogwarts.”**

**“He was the youngest player in a century.” Hermione added proudly.**

“You proud of me, Mione?” Harry teased.

“Someone has to be.” Hermione answered primly. “You’re just so modest.” She pinched his cheek and he swatted her hand away.

**“Let’s have a really loud hand for our gallant losers – BULGARIA!” Bagman announced.**

**“That is very impressive.” Mr. Oblansk commented, applauding with them as his team shook hands with Fudge.**

**Hermione couldn’t help but flinch at the sight of Viktor Krum. His nose was bloody and two black eyes bloomed spectacularly above it.**

“He looked rather like a clown.” Fred observed.

“Be nice.” Ginny chided.

**Mr. Oblansk called him over. “Viktor, I vould like you to meet Hermione Granger and Harry Potter.”**

“You’re actually getting to meet him!” James whispered.

“I’m surprised you didn’t say anything.” Hermione commented, looking at Draco.

“I was in shock.” Draco admitted. “I think Mum silenced Father though.”

Narcissa grimaced. “Bet I heard about that later.”

**Viktor’s eyes widened as he shook their hands. “Harry Potter, you are indeed a legend.”**

“He thinks you’re a legend.” James whispered, a grin forming on his face. “Star Quidditch player … _my_ son …”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Oh here we go.”

**Harry looked slightly star-struck. “Thank you. That Wronski Feint, by the way …”**

“Don’t even think about it!” Lily snapped.

“Erm, Lily.” James said carefully. “That dive Harry did yesterday … that _was_ a Wronski Feint.”

**“Don’t even think about it.” Hermione told him.**

Harry chuckled. “Yes, Mum.”

**“I already get a heart attack every time you play, without that added in.”**

**“You are a Seeker as vell?” Viktor asked. “Are you any good?”**

**Harry shrugged modestly. “Well …”**

**“He’s amazing.” Hermione answered. “The only time he’s lost a game is when he’s been unconscious. Even with a jinxed broom and a cursed bludger.”**

“Someone had to do it.” Hermione shrugged at Harry’s faux-annoyed look. “You’re too humble.”

**Viktor looked impressed and pressed the Snitch into Harry’s hand.**

“He gave you the game Snitch!” James gasped, tears springing to his eyes. “That’s my boy …”

Lily smiled at him. “You know, Harry, I think James is more proud of this than he is you beating Voldemort.”

James shook himself out his funk. “Don’t be silly, Lily. Of course beating Voldemort’s more important. But this is a very close second.”

**“In that case, ve may vell be playing each other in a few years.”**

**As the Bulgarian team filed out, Harry turned to Hermione. “Do you realise what just happened?!”**

“The unbelievable.” James answered.

Lily swatted his arm. “Stop now.”

**Hermione nodded. “You just got the game Snitch! Let me see?”**

**Harry held it out. “How cool is this?”**

**“So cool!” Ron answered from behind him. “I am so jealous!”**

**Harry laughed. “Well, I’m glad you can tell me that. Apparently, when you keep stuff like that bottled up, it can cause problems.”**

“Just a bit.” Remus agreed.

**Hermione winced slightly …**

Harry raised an eyebrow and she nodded.

**… Ron may have been joking, but there was definitely envy bubbling away beneath the surface. She just hoped it stayed there.**

“It’d better.” James frowned. “You don’t need that coming between best friends.”

“That’s the end of the chapter.” Alice announced.

 _Addie_ , who had been watching her younger counterpart for a while, stood up. “It’s too soon for lunch, but I’m going to get a snack. Anyone want anything?”

There was a flurry of requests and she made her way to the kitchen, pushing a thought into Addie’s head as she passed.

Slowly, and with a little reluctance, Addie nudged Sirius and nodded to the door that had just appeared. He followed her almost warily into the other room and she pushed the door shut with a sigh.

“Ads, if you’re going to push me away again, please don’t.” Sirius whispered.

Addie leaned against the wall wearily. “Don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“No.” Sirius rolled his eyes. “We broke up weeks ago, Ads – I’ve given up trying to replace you – it’s not possible.”

Addie smiled slightly. “You know we’re all going to end up forgetting all this.”

“I don’t care.” Sirius told her. “I’ll take what I can get. I love you.”

Finally she heard the truth of his words and let her guard drop, pushing herself away from the wall and into his arms. “I love you too.”


	13. Chapter Eleven - Uprising

When Sirius and Addie exited the room they looked suspiciously smug, but no one questioned them because _Addie_ had returned with bowls of popcorn and a tray full of tall glasses of iced lemonade.

“So who’s going to read next?” Alice asked, licking salty butter from her fingers.

“I will.” Ginny offered, taking the book.

**Chapter Eleven**

**Uprising**

The mood in the room took an immediate turn for the worse.

“Uprising of what?” David asked slowly.

The future students exchanged a glance, but didn’t answer.

**“ _Don’t_ tell your mother you’ve been gambling,” Mr Weasley implored Fred and George, as they all made their way slowly down the purple-carpeted stairs.**

Fred snorted. “As if we would.”

**“Don’t worry, Dad,” said Fred gleefully, “we’ve got big plans for this money, we don’t want it confiscated.”**

**Mr Weasley looked for a moment as though he was going to ask what these big plans were, but seemed to decide, upon reflection, that he didn’t want to know.**

“Wise move.” Ginny smirked.

**They were soon caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to the campsites. Raucous singing was borne towards them on the night air as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit path, and leprechauns kept shooting over their heads, cackling and waving their lanterns.**

“I bet the Irish had fun that night.” James grinned. “Wouldn’t want to be the Ministry officials trying to keep the peace.”

**When they finally reached the tents, nobody felt like sleeping at all …**

“Who would?” Sirius asked.

**… and, given the level of noise around them, Mr Weasley agreed that they could all have one last cup of cocoa together before turning in. They were all soon arguing enjoyably about the match; the main topic of conversation, despite Ireland’s win, was Viktor Krum and the game-winning Snitch, which was passed around several times before returning safely to Harry’s backpack.**

“Keep that safe.” James advised. “It’ll be worth a fortune one day.”

Jen raised an eyebrow. “But James, you’re _already_ worth a fortune.”

“True.” James conceded.

**“There’s no one like Krum!” Ron was saying a few hours later. “He’s like a bird the way he rides the wind. He’s not an athlete, he’s an artist!”**

“Given what we heard, I’ll believe that.” Regulus commented.

**“Think you’re in love, Ron?” Ginny smirked.**

**“Viktor, I love you!” Fred and George sang. “Viktor, I do!”**

**Harry joined in with a grin. “When we’re apart, my heart beats only for yoooou!”**

Fred and Harry had joined in the song with matching smirks and everyone chuckled.

**A loud bang echoed outside, causing them all to jump, and Ginny winced. “I wouldn’t fancy having to tell the Irish to stop celebrating.”**

**At that moment, a voice floated through the flap. “What are you all still doing here? Can you not hear anything?”**

“What were they supposed to be hearing?” Lily asked with a frown, inching closer to Harry.

**Hermione’s head snapped up, fatigue vanishing in an instant. Mandy’s head was poking through the flap, looking worried. The sounds in the campsite had changed; cheers and singing had changed to screams and shouts. Her empathy kicked in seconds later, picking up panic and terror.**

David cursed under his breath.

Lily turned white and grabbed Harry’s hand.

**Arthur paled. “Bill, Charlie, Percy; wands now. You others, grab a jacket and get outside. Quickly.”**

**Everyone complied and they huddled outside the tent, shivering. Hermione could see a few people fleeing into the woods, by the light of the few fires that were still burning, fleeing something that was moving across the field towards them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and sounds like gunfire.**

“Death Eaters?” Jen asked in a hushed voice.

“Can’t be.” Regulus frowned. “Surely they wouldn’t be that _stupid_.”

**An eerie green light illuminated the thing …**

No one was sure who screamed, but James, Remus and Sirius pulled the girls closer to them anyway.

“It wasn’t the Killing Curse.” Hermione assured them quickly. “Just a green light.”

**… and it was revealed to be a crowd of wizards that tightly packed and moving together, marching across the field, levitating what seemed to be a family of four above their heads.**

“Muggles.” James concluded with a grimace.

“Children?” Remus asked sharply.

Hermione nodded, looking pale. “Two of them.”

**For a second, Hermione thought they were faceless, but then she realised that they were all wearing white masks.**

“Death Eaters.” Jen confirmed. “Clearly they _would_ be that stupid.”

 _Addie_ shuddered and _Sirius_ pulled her closer, planting a kiss on her hairline.

**More wizards were joining them …**

“How many got away?” Lily asked shrilly.

“Lily, I doubt they were all _real_ Death Eaters.” David told her. “Probably the ones that got away and a lot of wizards who had too much to drink.”

**… tents were getting blasted out of the way.**

**The floating people were suddenly illuminated by the light of a burning tent and Hermione realised with an unpleasant lurch that it was Mr. Roberts and what must have been his wife and children.**

**“That’s sick.” Ron muttered, as the smallest child began spinning like a top.**

Even Regulus looked ill at this.

“That poor child.” Lily whimpered, tightening her hold on Harry’s hand.

**“That is really, really sick.”**

**“We’re going to help the Ministry.” Arthur told them, gesturing to his three older sons. “You lot into the woods and _stick together!_ ”**

“Listen to him.” Sirius whispered, stroking Addie’s hair to comfort her.

**“Be careful.” Mandy added, hurrying after them.**

Arabella frowned. “You be careful.”

**“We’ll come and get you when we’ve sorted this out!”**

**Ministry wizards were sprinting towards the crowd, which was slowly getting closer.**

**“Come on.” Fred grabbed Ginny’s hand and began pulling her towards the woods. Hermione, Harry, Ron and George followed, glancing behind them as they did. The Ministry wizards seemed unable to reach the masked wizards in the centre.**

“How do things get that bad?” David asked, shaking his head.

**The coloured lanterns that had lit the path earlier in the evening had been extinguished. Figures were blundering through the trees; children were crying; shouts and cries were reverberating around them. Hermione felt Harry grab her hand, her head almost bursting with the swirling sea of emotion, as they were buffeted around by terrified campers.**

“Thanks for that.” Hermione smiled weakly. “I don’t think I’d have stayed on my feet.”

**Then they heard Ron cry out in pain.**

Fred stiffened, but swiftly reminded himself that Ron hadn’t been hurt when they got back to the tent.

Lily whimpered and James tightened his arm around her shoulders.

**“What happened?” Hermione asked, her stomach feeling as though it had disappeared. “Ron, where are you? Oh, this is stupid! Lumos!” Illuminating her wand, she directed its beam across the path.**

**Ron was sprawled on the ground. “Tripped over a tree root.” He explained irritably, climbing to his feet.**

**“Well, with feet that size, hard not to.” A voice drawled.**

“Sorry.” Draco muttered.

Hermione smiled. “Don’t be.”

**They all spun around to see Draco Malfoy, leaning casually against a tree. He was watching the carnage out on the field, a smirk on his face.**

“How can you …?” Lily began, but Ginny read over her.

**Despite this, Hermione could sense nothing but fear and disgust coming from him. Putting this aside to think about later, she grabbed Harry’s hand before it could reach for his wand.**

“Smart move.” _Addie_ murmured. “Not the time to get into a duel.”

**“Oh, fuck off!” Ron snapped.**

Fred raised an eyebrow. “I suddenly have much more respect for my little brother.”

**“Language, Weasley.” Draco smirked. “Hadn’t you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn’t like her spotted, would you?” He nodded at Hermione.**

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sirius challenged.

“Simply that my father knows Hermione is Muggle-born.” Draco answered calmly.

Narcissa’s eyes flashed. “Lucius was in that crowd?”  
Draco shrugged. “Does that surprise you?”

Narcissa frowned. “No, but I would like to believe he didn’t engage in those sorts of activities around you.”

**At the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the field and the air momentarily lit up green.**

“Not the Killing Curse.” Hermione repeated.

**“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hermione asked defiantly, inwardly marvelling at how steady her voice was. She could sense concern in the air…but was that Draco’s himself or were Ron and Harry’s emotions over-riding his?**

“Bit of both probably.” Draco conceded.

**“Granger, they’re after Muggles.” Draco elaborated. “Do you want to be showing off your knickers in mid-air?**

“A warning disguised as a threat.” Regulus concluded. “Nicely done.”

**Because if you do, hang around … they’re moving this way and it would give us all a laugh.”**

Again, Ginny kept reading quickly.

**Disgust again. Harry and Ron’s? No, Hermione thought. It was self-disgust. Could it be that Draco only acting like this because of his father?**

“We have a winner.” Draco smirked.

**“Hermione’s a witch!” Harry snarled, moving in front of her protectively.**

“Good boy.” James murmured.

**“Have it your own way, Potter.” Draco grinned. “If you think they can’t spot a Mudblood…” the self-disgust escalated briefly “…stay where you are.”**

“Why not just not talk like that?” Harry asked.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Aside from the fact that you’d think I was up to something?”  
“Oh yeah.” Harry muttered sheepishly.

“It’s easier to get you three to respond when you’re angry.” Draco told him simply. “I knew Hermione would be more likely to get you moving if she was trying to avoid a confrontation.”

**“You watch your mouth!” Ron shouted.**

**Hermione grabbed his arm. “Never mind, Ron.”**

“And I was right.” Draco added.

**Another bang sounded from the other side of the trees, causing several people to scream.**

**Draco chucked. “Scare easily, don’t they? I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What’s he up to – trying to rescue the Muggles?”**

**“Where’re your parents?” Harry snapped, his temper flaring; Hermione put a calming hand on his shoulder. “Out there wearing masks, are they?”**

“Sorry.” Harry said to Narcissa.

She smiled at him. “Quite alright, Harry. I highly doubt I’m in that crowd.”  
“No, you were at the tent.” Draco confirmed. “You told me to run for it though.”

**Draco smirked. “Well, if they were, I wouldn’t be likely to tell you, would I?” He turned his gaze back to Hermione, seeming to read the expression of concern and curiosity on her face.**

“I did.” Draco pulled a face. “Confused the hell out of me.”

Hermione chuckled. “That’s my plan in a nutshell.”

**He was still smirking maliciously, but the emotion swarming around him was … Hermione couldn’t place it.**

“Was what?” Lily asked.

Hermione shrugged. “Pass. A complicated mixture of fear, anger, helplessness, guilt and envy.”

Draco thought about that for a second. “Yeah, that about sums it up.”

**“Come on.” She said uneasily. “Let’s go and find the others.”**

**“Keep your head down, Granger.” Draco called with a slight sneer in his voice.**

**“Come _on_!” Hermione repeated, tugging Ron’s arm.**

“Good.” Lily murmured. “Keep going.”

**The trio jogged away, up the path.**

**“I’ll bet you anything that his dad is one of that lot.” Ron accused.**

“He was.” Draco muttered.

**“Well, with any luck, the Ministry will catch him.” Hermione soothed. “But he is.”**

Draco smiled slightly. “I was hoping you’d catch on.”

**“You can’t say that.” Harry reminded her. “Malfoy never actually said …”**

Hermione gasped. “Wait, since when are _you_ the one saying we shouldn’t accuse without proof?”

**“I’ll tell you when we get home.” Hermione told him, glancing behind her.**

“That’s right – they don’t know yet.” Lily remembered.

**“There’s something wrong.” She slowed down and looked around. “I don’t believe this. Where have the others got to?”**

“That’s not good.” Jen whispered. “Not a good time to get lost.”

“Is there ever a good time to get lost?” Sirius asked.

**Fred, George and Ginny were nowhere to be seen, but the path was swarming with other people. A group of teenagers were huddled together, but one hurried over to the trio and spoke quickly.**

**“ _Ou est Madame Maxime? Nous l’avons perdu._ ”**

“What?” Harry asked. “I still don’t get it.”

Hermione sighed. “Where is Madame Maxime? We have lost her.”

“Who’s Madame Maxime?” Lily frowned.

“She’s the Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France.” Hermione answered.

James shook his head. “How many books have you read?”  
Hermione shrugged with a smile, not bothering to tell him she hadn’t read it in a book.

**“Er…what?” Ron asked. “Hermione?”**

**Hermione sighed** **. “ _Je suis désolée. Nous ne pouvons pas vous aider._ ”**

“I’m sorry. We can’t help you.” Hermione paused. “I’m surprised I got it right, given how shaken I was.”

“I wonder why Beauxbatons were there with their headmistress.” Lily frowned.

“Well, given the Cup was in England, the school may have held a summer trip.” David said. “I know Hogwarts did that once when the Cup was in France.”

**“Oh…” The girl nodded to her and walked away and they distinctly heard her mutter, “’Ogwarts.”**

**“Beauxbatons.” Hermione muttered.**

**“Sorry?” Harry asked.**

**“They must go to Beauxbatons.” Hermione elaborated. “You know … Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. I read about it in _An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe._ ”**

“You really have read everything, haven’t you?” Regulus asked, though he sounded more impressed than scathing.

**“Of course you did.” Harry teased, to cover his embarrassment.**

“Saw through it then?” Harry asked.

Hermione smirked. “You blushed.”

**“They can’t have gone far.” Ron said, reverting to their original problem and pulling his wand out.**

“Good move.” Jen murmured.

**“Hey!” Harry said suddenly. “I don’t believe it; I’ve lost my wand!”**

Lily made a sound crossed between a whimper and a scream.

“How do you lose your wand?!” James demanded. “You should keep it with you at all times!”

“I do!” Harry protested. “I put it in my pocket that morning and didn’t take it out!”

**“You’re kidding!” Ron and Hermione lifted their wands to spread the light, but there was no sign of it on the ground.**

“It must have fallen out.” Jen whispered. “Try summoning it.”  
“We didn’t know the Summoning Charm.” Hermione admitted.

“Of course not.” Jen groaned. “It’s a fourth year spell.”

“Would have made everything easier.” Harry muttered darkly.

**“Maybe it’s back at the tent.” Ron frowned.**

**“Maybe it fell out of your pocket when we were running.” Hermione suggested, feeling worried.**

“I don’t like this.” Lily murmured. “I really don’t like this.”

**“Yeah, maybe …” Harry trailed off. Hermione glanced at Ron and they instinctively closed in around him.**

“Good.” David looked just as worried as anyone.

**There was a rustling noise to their left and they jumped, Hermione and Ron aiming their wands at the sound.**

**Winky the house-elf was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes. “There is bad wizards about! People high – high in the air! Winky is getting out of the way!” She ran across the path, but it was as though an invisible force was holding her back.**

Mandy frowned. “That doesn’t sound right.”

**As she disappeared into the bushes on the other side, Ron turned to the others. “What’s up with her? Why can’t she run properly?”**

**“Bet she didn’t ask permission to hide.” Harry answered promptly.**

“No …” Jen said slowly. “No, that would just cause her to punish herself afterwards. It wouldn’t stop her from being able to hide. Unless he said, “I forbid you to hide”, in which case her magic wouldn’t let her.”

**“You know, house-elves get a _very_ raw deal.” Hermione mused.**

“Here we go.” Fred sighed.

**“It’s slavery, that’s what it is! That Mr. Crouch made her go to the top of the stadium and she was terrified, and he’s got her bewitched so she can’t even run when they start trampling tents! Why doesn’t anyone _do_ anything about it?”**

**“Well, the elves are happy, aren’t they?” Ron asked casually.**

“Not always.” Jen disagreed.

**“You heard old Winky back at the match … “House-elves is not supposed to have fun” … that’s what she likes; being bossed around.”**

“They like having work to do.” James corrected. “But that doesn’t mean they enjoy being abused – that’s not right.”

**Hermione glared at him. “It’s people like _you_ who prop up the system, just because you’re too lazy to …”**

**Another loud bang from the edge of the woods cut her off.**

“Move.” Lily whispered. “Please. Debate later.”

**“Let’s just keep moving.” Ron suggested.**

**Hermione saw him glance worriedly at her. Was there some truth in what Draco said?**

“A little.” Fred scowled. “But only because Lucius Malfoy would recognise you as a Muggle-born.”

**Harry took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly …**

“Thanks.” Hermione whispered. “I needed that.”

**… still searching his pockets for his wand with his other hand.**

**They followed the path deeper into the wood, past a group of goblins cackling over a sack of gold, past a gaggle of Veela and their admirers.**

Hermione couldn’t help giggling. “That was funny.”

Harry nodded, grinning. “Stan Shunpike insisting he was about to become the youngest ever Minister for Magic.”

“Ron claiming he’d invented a broomstick that reached Jupiter.” Hermione laughed.

“I guess Ron’s particularly susceptible to Veela then?” Jen guessed with a smile.

“You might say that.” Hermione agreed, remembering his disastrous attempt to ask Fleur Delacour to the ball.

**It was once both of these groups were out of earshot that the trio found themselves alone, in the heart of the wood, the sounds of the campsite too far away to hear.**

Lily shivered. “I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or not.”

**Harry glanced around. “I reckon we can stay here. We’ll be able to hear anyone coming a mile off.”**

“That’s true.” David agreed slowly. “But no one else will hear if you get into trouble.”

**Hermione had just nodded in agreement, when Ludo Bagman emerged from behind a tree right ahead of them.**

“What’s Bagman doing there?” Sirius asked.

“Probably worrying about paying off the goblins.” Fred snorted. “He gave them leprechaun gold as well.”  
Regulus groaned. “What an idiot.”

**The jubilant man they’d met earlier had disappeared; he was pale and strained, emanating worry.**

“Not surprised if he was that stupid.” Regulus commented dryly.

**Hermione had just begun to feel sorry for him, when he spoke. “Who’s that? What are you doing in here, all alone?”**

“Has he really not noticed?” Sirius asked disbelievingly. Any and all respect he had for the man had washed away.

**Any sympathy she could have felt was washed away by suspicion and she exchanged a glance with the two boys, before Ron cleared his throat. “Well, there's a sort of riot going on.”**

**“What?” Bagman stared at them.**

**“At the campsite.” Harry elaborated. “Some people have got hold of a family of Muggles.”**

**Bagman swore loudly.**

“Oi!” Lily snapped. “Watch your language in front of my son!”

**“Damn them!” He disapparated without another word, looking quite distracted.**

**Hermione frowned at the spot he’d vacated. “Not exactly on top of things, Mr. Bagman, is he?”**

**“He was a great Beater though.” Ron responded cheerfully.**

“Leave it to Ron.” Ginny gave a small smile. The events of that night were still at the forefront of her mind.

**He led them into a small clearing and sat down at the base of a tree. “The Wimbourne Wasps won the league three times in a row while he was with them.”**

Sirius brightened up. “That means we win twice more.”

“And then that’s it.” James finished cheerfully.

**He fished the model of Krum from his pocket and the three of them watched it march up and down, scowling up at them.**

“He was doing the pacing for us.” Hermione remarked, trying to smile and failing.

**“I hope the others are okay.” Hermione whispered.**

**“They’ll be fine.” Ron assured her, but his voice was shaking.**

**“Imagine if your dad catches Lucius Malfoy.” Harry said, trying to lighten the mood.**

“Wish he had.” Draco muttered.

**“He’s always said he’d like to get something on him.”**

**“That’d wipe the smirk off Draco’s face alright.” Ron agreed …**

Draco snickered. “No, it’d put the smirk _on_ my face.”

**… scooping the toy up and putting it back in his pocket.**

**Hermione frowned and changed the subject. “Those poor Muggles, though. What if they can’t get them down?”**

“They will.” James assured Lily, who had turned white at this. “Few modified memories – they’ll forget it even happened.”

**“They’ll be fine.” Ron repeated, confidently this time.**

**“Mad, though, to do something like that tonight, when the whole Ministry’s here.” Hermione commented.**

“Good point.” Alice frowned. “What were they thinking?”

**“How were they expecting to get away with it?**

“Drinking.” David sighed. “Adrenaline. Quite a few probably won money as well.”

“Anger at wizards living like Muggles.” Draco put in. “That had a lot to do with Father.”

**Were they just drunk or …?” A noise behind her caused her to break off abruptly.**

Lily tightened her grip on Harry’s hand and he shifted it slightly to stop her from cutting off the blood-flow.

**Harry and Ron looked around as well, the latter scrambling to his feet; it sounded as though someone was staggering towards their clearing.**

**When the footsteps came to a sudden halt, Hermione and Ron pulled their wands out again.**

“You shouldn’t have put them away.” _Sirius_ said, sharper than he’d intended. He’d managed to grasp both Harry and Hermione’s hands in one of his, reassuring himself that they were both okay.

**“Hello?” Harry asked …**

James sighed. “Harry …”

**… peering around the tree. “Who’s there?”**

**And then a voice sounded, a voice that none of them recognised. It wasn’t a cry of pain or a panicked shout, but a calm incantation.**

**“ _MOSMORDRE!_ ”**

Regulus cursed loudly and violently, but Ginny kept reading before anyone could scold or ask him.

**Something vast and glittering green flew up into the dark sky to form a huge green skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth.**

Lily gasped. “Sweet Merlin – that’s the Dark Mark!”

**“What the …?” Ron staggered back and Harry gasped, but Hermione was paralysed with fear and shock. It appeared that she alone knew what the sign was and what it meant. The Dark Mark …**

_Addie_ shuddered again, remembering the sickly green light that illuminated her home.

**The sign of Lord Voldemort.**

As everyone stared in shocked silence at the book, Ginny cleared her throat. “That’s the end.”


	14. Chapter Twelve - The Dark Mark

“Here.” Narcissa took the book hastily and turned to the next chapter.

**Chapter Twelve**

**The Dark Mark**

No one spoke, sitting on the edge of their seats.

**The wood around them erupted with screams, while Ron – who clearly knew that the sign was bad, if not how bad – and Hermione pulled Harry back from the tree.**

“Ron knew it was Voldemort’s sign.” Hermione said softly. “But that was all. I’d read about it in _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ , but it seemed to feel worse to me.”

“You were with Lily on August 1st.” _Sirius_ told her softly, glancing at Jen.

Jen swallowed. “What happened? The full version this time please.”

“You went to visit Lily and Harry.” _Sirius_ began heavily. “And told Remus that if Mad-Eye needed you, that’s where you were. The Dark Mark was in sight of the house when it went up. When Mad-Eye called you in, Remus flooed Lily to tell her, but she told him that you weren’t there…”

“Why didn’t I just floo to them?” Jen asked softly.

“Because you couldn’t.” _Sirius_ answered. “They had communication network and an outward connection, but no one could floo in. You would’ve had to apparate to the apparition point, which was, I think, about an hour away, and walk.”

“Wouldn’t I have been there though?” Harry asked. “Why didn’t I know?”

“Two reasons.” Hermione answered. “First of all, my memory was more subconscious and it was triggered by learning about it, whereas you don’t pick up a book unless I make you. Second of all, I was nearly two and you were just past one.”

“Barely.” Jen sighed, noting the date.

**“Who’s there?” Harry called again.**

“Harry, get out of there!” Lily groaned. “Please!”

**“Harry, come on; move!” Hermione hissed.**

“Listen to her.” James murmured, hugging Lily with one arm and clutching Harry’s shoulder with the other hand.

**“What’s the matter?” Harry asked, having caught sight of her face.**

**“It’s the Dark Mark, Harry!” Hermione explained, her voice wavering. “You-Know-Who’s sign …”**

“Still not saying it?” Jen asked, her voice deceptively light.

Hermione shrugged. “Give it time.”

**“Voldemort’s?” Harry gasped.**

**“Harry, come _on_!” Hermione repeated, with a slight groan, her head pounding with the terror around them.**

Hermione grimaced. “It was awful.”

**The three of them hurried across the clearing, but after two steps, a series of cracking noises announced the arrival of about twenty wizards, all of whom had their wands pointed directly at them.**

“Hey!” Lily protested. “They didn’t do it!”

**“DUCK!” Harry yelled, seizing their hands and forcing them to the ground.**

**“ _Stupefy!_ ” Twenty voices shouted …**

“Merlin, that many stunners …” David trailed off, seeing his son’s white face and Lily’s expression.

**… Hermione hit the ground heavily as a series of jets of red light skimmed the tops of their head, causing their hair to ripple.**

“Good instincts, Harry.” Sirius commented. “That was close.”

 _Sirius_ was muttering something under his breath about Ministry officials who fired first and asked questions later. Catching his words, _Addie_ squeezed his hand. “You’d do the same thing,” she whispered, “and you know it.”

**“STOP!” Arthur’s voice shouted. “STOP! THAT’S MY SON!”**

“Thank Merlin Arthur’s there.” Narcissa sighed.

**Hermione’s hair stilled. She lifted her head warily, Ron and Harry doing the same, to see that the wizards had lowered their wands. She rolled over, coughing slightly, as Arthur strode towards them, looking terrified.**

**“Ron … Harry … Hermione … Are you alright?”**

**Before they could respond, there was a double scream from the back of the group of wizards.**

“What now?” Lily asked in a high voice.

Narcissa smiled, glancing at the next line. “It’s fine.”

**They parted quickly and Mandy and Arabella ran through the gap.**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“Of course we’d be there.” Arabella told her, her face white. “You don’t have to thank us.”

**“Harry!” Arabella cried, pulling him into a hug. “Sweet Merlin, are you alright?”**

**Mandy began checking him over. “What happened? Are you hurt?”**

“He was fine.” Hermione assured them quickly.

**“Out of the way, ladies; Arthur.” A curt voice commanded.**

Lily’s mouth dropped open. “They can’t honestly think they had anything to do with it, can they?”

“I’m sure they don’t.” David assured her. “But they are the only three there, which makes them witnesses. The sooner they can get their statement, the better.”

**Mr. Crouch and the other Ministry wizards were closing in on them.**

**“Which one of you did it?” Crouch snapped …**

“Alright, maybe they do think that.” David frowned. “What happened to the Ministry?”

“Fudge took over.” _Sirius_ answered flatly. “I firmly believe that was when common sense started disappearing.”

“Can’t have been.” Hermione disagreed. “That was after they arrested you.”

“Point taken.” _Sirius_ nodded.

**… his eyes darting between them. “Which one of you conjured the Dark Mark?”**

“Honestly.” Regulus rolled his eyes. “Three fourteen-year-olds, two of whom are Muggle-raised, would not know how to conjure the Dark Mark.”

**“We didn’t do that!” Harry protested, gesturing to the skull.**

**“We didn’t do anything!” Ron added, rubbing his elbow. “What did you want to attack us for?”**

**“Do not lie, sir!” Crouch roared, his wand pointed at Ron.**

“Oi!” Fred protested.

**“You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!”**

“What the hell’s wrong with him?” Alice asked with a frown. “That doesn’t sound like the guy Barty describes. He says his dad’s always calm and in control.”

“He hates the Dark Arts.” _Sirius_ said calmly. “Could get quite … over-excited.”

**“Barty!” Mandy gasped, pulling Harry to her protectively. “They’re kids! They wouldn’t know …”**

**“Where did the Mark come from, you three?” Arthur asked quickly.**

“Good – at least some people are on the ball.” Jen muttered.

**“Over there.” Hermione answered shakily, pointing in the direction the voice had been. “There was someone behind the trees … they shouted words … an incantation …” She trailed off, her head still burning.**

_Sirius_ looked concerned and she smiled slightly.

**She took a deep breath and the emotions around her dimmed; the pain followed swiftly.**

“That made everything easier to deal with.” Hermione murmured.

**“Oh, stood over there, did they?” Crouch repeated disbelievingly. “Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how the Dark Mark is summoned, missy.”**

“Yeah, because no other spells need an incantation.” James said, sarcasm lacing his tone.

**Arabella rolled her eyes. “Yes, it does indeed take a genius to work out that a spell needs an incantation.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Surely it proves that Hermione, a _fourteen-year-old_ witch, is well-versed on the Death Eater way of life. Too bad they wouldn’t welcome her with open arms!”**

“Careful.” David warned, his lips twitching. “I don’t think they’re in the mood for sarcasm right now.”

**“Arabella!” Mandy hissed.**

**But the other wizards clearly agreed with her, because they lifted their wands and were peering through the trees.**

“It’ll be too late by now.” James sighed. “Won’t it?”

“Well, the stunners did go right through the trees.” David said thoughtfully. “The book didn’t mention a crack, so no one disapparated. Could well have been hit.”

“Of course, the screams could have masked the sound of apparition.” Regulus pointed out.

**“We’re too late.” Mandy sighed, going back to checking Harry for any injuries. “They’ll have disapparated.”**

**“I don’t think so.” Amos Diggory disagreed.**

“Him again.” Sirius murmured.

Addie smiled slightly and squeezed his arm. “I never felt this way about him.” She whispered, causing him to smile.

“Is this where he makes a complete prat of himself?” Arabella asked, remembering Hermione’s words earlier.

Hermione smirked slightly. “Just a bit, yeah.”

**“Our stunners went right through those trees … there’s a good chance we got them …”**

**“Amos, be careful.” A few of the wizards warned, as he squared his shoulders and strode of into the darkness.**

**Hermione watched him disappear, shaking. Arabella put a comforting arm around her shoulders.**

“Thanks.” Hermione muttered. “I hadn’t even realised I was shaking.”

**“Yes!” They heard Diggory shout after a few seconds.**

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

**“We’ve got them! There’s someone here! Unconscious! It’s … but … blimey!”**

“Someone unexpected?” James guessed.

“Must be.” Jen frowned.

**“You got someone?” Crouch asked, sounding highly disbelieving. “Who? Who is it?”**

**With a lot of snapping twigs and rustling leaves, Diggory emerged back into the clearing with a tiny figure in his arms.**

Narcissa raised an eyebrow at the next words.

**It was Winky.**

“That’s not possible.” Regulus said immediately. “An elf wouldn’t be able to cast that spell, unless she was ordered to. But no Death Eater would order an elf to do that – it’s considered an honour.”

David gave him a searching look, but didn’t say anything.

**Hermione frowned. That was impossible. That voice … it was human … not an elf’s voice.**

“That too.” Addie frowned. “He doesn’t _seriously_ think the elf did it, does he?” She pointed at Sirius. “Don’t do it.”

**Diggory deposited the tiny elf on the floor in front of Crouch, who stared at her in shock, while the other wizards watched him closely.**

**“No …” Crouch murmured. “This … cannot … be.” He moved around Diggory and strode into the trees himself.**

“Now _that’s_ an odd reaction.” David frowned. “The house-elf getting caught by a stunner means nothing – she was hiding.”

**“No point, Mr. Crouch!” Diggory called. “There’s no one there!” He turned back to the other wizards, as Crouch continued to search. “Bit embarrassing. Barty Crouch’s house-elf …**

“That makes more sense.” David nodded.

“So Winky is Crouch’s house-elf?” _Addie_ scowled. “Figures.”

**… I mean to say …”**

**“Come of it, Amos!” Arabella interrupted.**

“Thank Merlin you’re there.” Lily said seriously. “I think you might be the only people with any sense.”

Mandy smiled at her. “Arthur Weasley’s there.”

“Aside from him.” Lily conceded.

**“You don’t seriously think it was the elf? The Dark Mark is a wizard’s sign!”**

**Mandy nodded in agreement, apparently satisfied with Harry’s well-being. “It requires a wand for one thing.”**

“Another good point.” David agreed.

**Hermione couldn’t help but feel that the two women didn’t like Amos Diggory very much …**

Arabella snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

**… she extended her empathy just slightly.**

Hermione blushed slightly. “I was curious.”

“It’s fine.” Mandy told her with a smile.

**No, they definitely didn’t like him, but it was for personal reasons. What had he done?**

_Addie_ leaned over _Sirius_ to whisper in her ear. “We dated in fourth year and he cheated on me.”  
Hermione’s eyes widened. “That’ll do it.”

**“And she had a wand.”**

“What?” David frowned.

“I can’t see Winky using a wand.” Jen commented. “Not given how she acted in the Top Box.”

**Diggory said quietly, breaking into Hermione’s thoughts.**

**“What?” Arabella asked sharply.**

**Diggory held it up. “Had it in her hand. _No non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand._ ”**

“That’s ridiculous.” Remus frowned. “Technically, werewolves and Veela are classed as ‘non-human’ by the Ministry.”

“But it doesn’t apply to them anymore.” _Sirius_ said. “It hasn’t for years.”

**“That law is seriously out-dated.” Mandy muttered, but was drowned out by Ludo Bagman apparating with a crack.**

“Probably for the best.” Mandy admitted with a sheepish smile.

**“The Dark Mark!” He gasped.**

“Really on top of things.” Lily rolled her eyes, loosening her grip on Harry a little now she knew he’d be alright.

**“Who did it? Did you get them? Barty? What’s going on?”**

**Crouch had re-emerged from the woods, empty-handed.**

**“Where have you been, Barty?” Bagman pressed. “Why weren’t you at the match? Your elf was saving you a seat – Gulping Gargoyles!” He appeared to have just noticed Winky. “What happened to _her_?”**

Sirius shook his head. “Keep up, Bagman.”

**“I have been busy, Ludo.” Crouch answered jerkily. “And my elf has been stunned.”**

**“Stunned?” Bagman repeated. “By you lot, you mean? But why …?” He gaped at them. “No! Winky? Conjure the Dark Mark? She’d need a wand for a start!”**

“Oh, so he’s not a _complete_ idiot.” Jen said lightly.

**“I don’t think he believes it.” Mandy murmured from behind Hermione.**

**“I don’t think _I_ believe it.” Arabella retorted, just as quietly.**

There were a few sniggers and Mandy and Arabella smirked at one another.

**“And she had one.” Diggory repeated impatiently. “I found her holding one, Ludo. If it’s alright with you, Mr. Crouch, I think we should hear what she’s got to say for herself.” When Crouch stayed silent, he pointed his own wand at Winky. “ _Enervate!_ ”**

**Feebly stirring, Winky opened her eyes and blinked bewilderedly. She pulled herself up into a sitting position, looked slowly up at Mr. Diggory, up at the Dark Mark, around at the watching wizards, and then burst into noisy sobs.**

“Oh the poor thing.” Lily cooed. “She must be terrified!”

**Hermione moved instinctively to comfort her, but Arabella tightened her hold and shook her head warningly.**

“Good move.” David said. “You don’t want to get involved.”

**“Elf!” said Mr Diggory sternly. “Do you know who I am? I’m a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures!”**

**Winky began to rock backwards and forwards on the ground, her breath coming in sharp bursts. Hermione was reminded of Harry’s stories of Dobby in his moments of terrified disobedience.**

“Could she be disobeying?” Lily asked curiously.

“It might be like Harry said earlier – that she didn’t ask permission to hide.” James answered. “But that still wouldn’t keep her from running properly, like they said earlier. Something’s going on.”

**“As you see, elf, the Dark Mark was conjured here a short while ago,” said Mr Diggory. “And you were discovered moments later, right beneath it! An explanation, if you please!”**

Addie scowled, muttering something under her breath that only Sirius heard, but he just smirked.

**“Power trip.” Hermione heard Arabella mutter behind her …**

_Addie_ scowled. “She’s right. Bastard.”

“Now, Ads, you know you can’t kill him.” _Sirius_ said calmly, lightly tugging a strand of hair playfully.

 _Addie_ pouted slightly. “Can you do it for me then?”

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “No, Ads, I can’t.”

“You once said you’d do anything for me.” _Addie_ reminded him in a sing-song voice, only half-joking. “Or does that not stretch that far?”

“It does.” _Sirius_ told her calmly. “But that favour’s been called in. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

Harry looked utterly confused, so Hermione swiftly explained about Dolohov. His gaze hardened. “I’ll help.”

“Harry!” Hermione protested in a whisper.

“That’s one of my godmothers we’re talking about.” Harry hissed back. “Whether Mum and Dad made it official or not.”

Unbeknown to the two, _Sirius_ and _Addie_ had overheard their hushed conversation and he conjured a tissue quickly so she could wipe her eyes.

“I’ll talk to him later.” She murmured.

Narcissa caught their eye and kept reading.

**… and couldn’t help agreeing.**

**“I – I – I is not doing it, sir!” Winky gasped. “I is not knowing how, sir!”**

**“You were found with a wand in your hand!” Diggory brandished it.**

**Harry gasped. “Hey – that’s mine!”**

“What?!” Several people asked.

“But you didn’t go into that part of the woods.” Lily whispered, clinging to Harry again.

“Someone must have picked it up and used it to conjure the Dark Mark.” Sirius said with a frown. “Smart really.”

“How is that smart?” James demanded.

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Because, Prongs, the aurors check people’s wands for the last spells they do – using their own wand would give them away.”

James turned a bit red. “Right, of course.”

**Everyone looked at him.**

**“Excuse me?” Diggory sounded incredulous.**

**“That’s my wand!” Harry said. “I dropped it.”**

**“You dropped it?” Diggory repeated. “Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the Dark Mark?!”**

Addie rolled her eyes. “Has he always been this much of an idiot?”  
“Yes.” Sirius answered immediately. “He has.”

**“Amos, think who you’re talking to!” Mandy cried.**

“Thank Merlin you’re there.” Lily murmured yet again.

**“Is _Harry Potter_ really likely to conjure the _Dark Mark_?!”**

“Of course.” Draco answered flatly. “Haven’t they realised it’s all a ruse to lull them into a false sense of security?”

Harry stared at him for a second, before grinning. “Apparently not. But I congratulate you on being the first to figure out my rather ingenious master plan. Care to be my left-hand when I push for world domination?”

Draco smirked. “Why not? But isn’t it usually right-hand?”

“Usually.” Harry conceded. “But I’m right-handed and Hermione might kill me if I don’t save that hand for her.”  
“Damn right I would.” Hermione agreed.

**“Er … of course not.” Diggory mumbled. “Sorry … got carried away.”**

“Just a bit.” _Addie_ muttered.

**“I didn’t drop it there anyway.” Harry added, slightly coolly. “I missed it right after we got into the woods.”**

**At this, Diggory brightened slightly and turned back to Winky, who was still crying. “So! You found this wand, eh, elf? And you picked it up and thought you’d have some fun with it, did you?”**

“No elf as neurotic as she was in the Top Box would do something like that.” James disagreed. “And she wouldn’t even know how to conjure the Dark Mark.”

**Hermione couldn’t help it; she had to say something. “It wasn’t her!”**

“Brave girl.” David murmured, as _Sirius_ gave her a proud smile.

**Her voice still shook slightly, but she felt a lot calmer. “Winky’s got a squeaky little voice and the voice we heard was much deeper!” She looked at Harry and Ron. “It didn’t sound like Winky, did it?”**

**Harry shook his head. “No, it didn’t sound like a house-elf at all.”**

**“Yeah, it was definitely a human voice.” Ron agreed. “A man.”**

**“Well, we’ll soon see.” Diggory didn’t sound convinced.**

“You’ve got three reliable witnesses.” David protested. “That should tell you Winky didn’t do it.”

“Sounds like someone wants a scapegoat.” Regulus drawled.

**“There’s a simple way of discovering the last spell a wand performed, elf, did you know that?” Winky shook her head frantically, as Mr. Diggory lifted Harry’s wand and placed it tip-to-tip with his own. “ _Prior Incantato!_ ”**

**Hermione gasped, horrified, as a thick grey ghost of the Dark Mark floated out the point where the two wands met.**

“You know, I’m surprised someone was able to do that.” _Addie_ commented. “The wand chooses the wizard – you shouldn’t get as good results with someone else’s.”

“But the Dark Mark isn’t difficult to conjure if you know how.” _Sirius_ told her. “It can’t be – people like Crabbe and Goyle have to produce it.”

**“ _Deletrius._ ” The echo vanished and Diggory looked down at Winky again, with a type of savage triumph.**

“That doesn’t prove she did it!” Fred shouted.

**“I is not doing it!” Winky squealed in terror. “I is not, I is not, I is not knowing how! I is a good elf, I is not using wands, I isn’t knowing how!”**

“Oh the poor thing.” Lily whispered again.

**“You’ve been caught red-handed, elf!” Diggory roared. “Caught with the guilty wand in your hand!”**

**“Amos!” Arthur cut in, exchanging a disgusted look with Mandy and Arabella. “Think about it! Precious few wizards know how to do that spell … where would she have learnt it?”**

“Exactly!”  James agreed.

**“Perhaps Amos is suggesting,” Crouch said icily, “that I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Dark Mark?”**

Alice smirked. “This should be fun.”

**Diggory looked horrified. “Oh, no, Mr. Crouch! Of course not …!”**

“Well, you kind of were.” Draco said innocently.

**“You have now come very close to accusing the two people in this clearing who are least likely to conjure the Dark Mark!” Crouch barked. “Harry Potter and myself! I trust you are familiar with the boy’s story?”**

**“Of course …” Diggory muttered. “Everyone knows …”**

“And don’t I know it.” Harry muttered.

**“And I trust you remember the many proofs I have given, over a long career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them?” Crouch continued.**

_Sirius_ snorted. “Yeah, we know. He always hated Jen.”

“I don’t practice the Dark Arts.” Jen said in a low voice. “I know them – unfortunately – but I’d never _use_ them.”

 _Sirius_ sighed. “No, but there’s magic that you and I know of that makes what the Ministry considers dark look like fairy magic. Some of the spells you used in fights with Death Eaters definitely toed the Ministry line, which is why Voldemort considered you such a threat.”

“And Crouch hated her for that?” Harry asked sounding confused. “Surely it doesn’t matter as long as the magic wasn’t illegal, right?”

“You’d think, wouldn’t you?” _Sirius_ agreed. “That was definitely the line we all took. Most of us thought Crouch was being a bit hypocritical – he was alright with aurors killing Death Eaters and using the Killing Curse to do it, but Jen using a grey spell that captured them but left them alive was out of order.”

“That doesn’t sound very grey.” Lily commented.

 _Sirius_ gave a vicious smirk. “I didn’t say they were unharmed. Just that they were alive.”

**Mr. Diggory was turning red behind his beard. “Mr. Crouch, I … I never suggested you had anything to do with it.”**

“But you did.” Draco smirked. “She wouldn’t have picked it up anywhere else.”

**“If you accuse my elf, you accuse me, Diggory!” Crouch shouted. “Where else would she have learnt to conjure it?!”**

**“She … She might have picked it up anywhere!” Diggory protested weakly.**

**“Exactly.” Mandy spoke up. “She might have picked it up anywhere. Winky?” She asked kindly, but the elf flinched as though she were being shouted at.**

“Poor thing.” Lily repeated. “She must be really abused at home.”

**“Where exactly did you find Harry’s wand?”**

**Winky twisted the hem of her pillowcase. “I … I is finding it … finding it there, miss … there in those trees, miss …”**

**“You see?” Mandy asked, looking up. “Whoever conjured the Dark Mark could have disapparated right after they’d done it, leaving Harry’s wand behind. A clever thing to do, not to use their own wand, which could have betrayed them.”**

Mandy raised an eyebrow. “That didn’t even cross my mind until Sirius mentioned it.”

“Well, future-you did work in the Order.” _Sirius_ pointed out. “You had a bit more experience by then.”

**“But then she’d have been feet from the real culprit!” Diggory pointed out. “Elf? Did you see anyone?”**

“Honestly, she’s not a suspect anymore!” Lily protested. “She’s got a name!”

**“Must you keep addressing her like that?” Arabella asked. “It’s rather off-putting.”**

Arabella nodded in agreement with herself.

**Diggory glared at her, as Winky twisted her pillowcase even more violently, so it frayed under her fingers. Trembling, she looked from Diggory to Bagman to Crouch. “I … I is seeing no one, sir … no one …”**

David frowned slightly. “That sounds like she’s trying to hint at something.”

James looked thoughtful. “Well … she didn’t say she didn’t know who did it. Just that she didn’t see anyone. Maybe there was someone invisible.”

“But then why would she lie about that?” Lily asked.

**“Amos.” Crouch said curtly. “I understand that, under normal circumstances, you would wish to take Winky into your department for questioning. I ask, however, that you allow me to deal with her.**

“Now _that_ is unusual.” David said. “Barty usually sticks to the rules rigidly. It’s strange for him to ask for special treatment.”

**You can rest assured that she will be punished.”**

“She hasn’t done anything!” Lily protested.

**“Master …” Winky whimpered. “Master … please …”**

**“Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible.” Crouch continued, ignoring her. “I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went out to sort out the trouble. And I find that she has disobeyed me. This means clothes.”**

**“No!” Winky threw herself at Crouch’s feet. “No, master! Not clothes, not clothes!”**

**“He’s firing her.” Harry whispered in Hermione’s ear.**

**“But she was frightened!” Hermione burst out.**

“That’s why you’re a Gryffindor.” Draco commented.

**It wasn’t until Crouch looked up at her that she realised she’d said it aloud, but she pressed on. “Your elf’s scared of heights and those wizards in the masks were levitating people! You can’t blame her for wanting to get out of the way!”**

**“I have no use for a disobedient house-elf.” Crouch said coldly, moving away from Winky as though she was something contagious.**

Lily was almost in tears and James tried to comfort her, looking angry himself.

**“I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master’s reputation.”**

“Oh of course!” Jen rolled her eyes. “Merlin forbid your precious reputation gets tarnished.”

**Arthur cleared his throat. “Well, I think I’ll take my lot back to the tent if nobody’s got any objections.”**

**“We’ll go with you.” Mandy agreed, motioning to Arabella. “Amos, that wand’s told us all it can. If Harry could have it back?”**

**Diggory handed the wand to Harry, who pocketed it.**

“Good.” Remus said. “At least you’ve got a wand now.”

**“Come on, you three.” Arthur said.**

**Hermione didn’t move for a second; she was staring horror-struck at Winky.**

“There’s nothing you can do.” Arabella whispered. “Just get out of there.”

**Arabella put a hand on her elbow and guided her out through the woods. Reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the house-elf, Hermione met Harry’s gaze and knew that he was as disturbed and worried as she was.**

“I was.” Harry whispered.

“That’s the end of the chapter.” Narcissa said softly.


	15. Chapter Thirteen - Dreams and Dreads

After a few moments of silence, in which everyone tried to work their heads around what had just happened, Regulus cleared his throat. “Here,” he said softly, “I’ll take it Cissy.”

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Dreams and Dreads**

“Is that Harry’s dreams or Jessica’s?” Lily asked, remembering Harry telling Hermione that Jess had had another dream.

“Both.” Harry answered.

**“What’s going to happen to Winky?” Hermione asked, the moment they had left the clearing.**

“She’ll be alright.” David said. “With any luck, she’ll end up at Hogwarts. That’s where a lot of freed house-elves go.”

**“I don’t know,” said Mr Weasley.**

**“The way they were treating her!” Hermione scowled. “Mr Diggory, calling her ‘elf’ all the time … and Mr Crouch! He knows she didn’t do it, and he’s still going to sack her! He didn’t care how frightened she’d been, or how upset she was – it was like she wasn’t even human!”**

**“Well, she’s not,” said Ron.**

James sighed. “Not the smartest thing to say.”

**Beside Hermione, Arabella gave a small cough that sounded suspiciously like ‘Padfoot’.**

“Hey!” Sirius protested. “I’m not that heartless!”

“But you are that tactless.” Addie pointed out.

**Hermione rounded on him. “That doesn’t mean she hasn’t got feelings, Ron, it’s disgusting the way …”**

“Not the best time to be debating elf rights, Kitten.” _Sirius_ said softly.

**“Hermione, I agree with you,” Mandy interrupted, beckoning her on, “but now is not the time to discus elf rights.**

There were a few chuckles and Mandy shrugged. “Great minds think alike.”

**I want to get back to the tent as fast as we can. What happened to the others?”**

Lily stiffened. “Oh, Merlin, I forgot about that!”

“We were fine.” Ginny assured her quickly.

**“We lost them in the dark,” said Ron. “Dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?”**

“Skull thing.” Narcissa repeated. “I’m not sure whether to be relieved or irritated.”

**“I’ll explain everything back at the tent,” said Mr Weasley tensely.**

“Good.” David murmured. “Don’t get into it there.”

**But when they reached the edge of the wood, their progress was impeded.**

“What now?” Arabella asked with a groan.

“I’m sure it’s just frightened campers.” Remus said calmly, his arm still tight around Jen’s shoulders.

**A large crowd of frightened-looking witches and wizards had congregated there …**

Jen smiled, though it looked forced. “Thank Merlin you were right.”

**… and when they saw Mr Weasley coming towards them, many of them surged forwards.**

“Of course, they’ll want answers.” Alice whispered, glancing at Neville. “You weren’t there, were you?”

Neville shook his head. “No, Gran wouldn’t get tickets, especially after what happened with the passwords in third year.”

 _Sirius_ flinched under Alice’s glare. “Sorry, Neville. I didn’t know who the list belonged to – Crookshanks brought it to me.”  
“I’ve already had a stern word with him.” Hermione added, her lips twitching slightly. “But he knew Sirius was innocent, you see, and that Scabbers – Wormtail – was in the tower.”

“Oh.” Neville blinked. “Alright then.”

**“What’s going on in there?” “Who conjured it?” “Arthur – it’s not – _him_?”**

“I think you’d know if it was.” James commented, causing Hermione to snort quietly.

**“Of course it’s not him,” said Mr Weasley impatiently. “We don’t know who it was, it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed.”**

**Hermione, Harry and Ron followed him through the crowd and back into the campsite, accompanied still by Mandy and Arabella. All was quiet now; there was no sign of the masked wizards …**

“The Mark must have frightened them off.” Regulus commented, pausing in his reading.

“How?” James asked. “Wouldn’t they want to see it?”

“If they got out of Azkaban, they denied any contact with him.” Jen disagreed. “If he comes back – _when_ he comes back – it’ll be the loyal ones in Azkaban he rewards. No, they’d be just as scared to see him come back.”

**… though several ruined tents were still smoking.**

**Charlie’s head was poking out of the boys’ tent.**

**“Dad, what’s going on?” he called through the dark. “Fred, George and Ginny got back okay, but the others …”  
“I’ve got them here.” Mr Weasley assured him, bending to enter the tent.**

**Bill was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a bed-sheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely.**

Lily gasped, but didn’t say anything.

**Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy was sporting a bloody nose.**

“That’s not bad.” David commented. “Especially since none of them has auror training.”

**Fred, George and Ginny looked unhurt, though shaken.**

**Mandy pointed her wand at Percy’s face. “ _Episky._ ”**

“At least one of you knows your healing spells.” David commented.

“No, that’s about the only one Mandy knows.” _Sirius_ said. “Arabella and Lily were the ones who really picked them up – Lily more so of course.”

**“Thanks,” Percy touched his nose gingerly.**

**Arabella pulled a seat next to Bill and began waving her wand over his arm, muttering under her breath.**

“I see your point.” Arabella smiled.

**“Did you get them, Dad?” said Bill sharply, as new skin began forming over his wound. “The person who conjured the Mark?”**

**“No,” said Mr Weasley. “We found Barty Crouch’s elf holding Harry’s wand, but we’re none the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark.”**

**“ _What?_ ” said Bill, Charlie and Percy together.**

**“Harry’s wand?” Fred repeated.**

**“ _Mr Crouch’s elf?_ ” said Percy, looking thunder-struck.**

“Yeah, because _that’s_ the important part.” Lily rolled her eyes. “Honestly!”

“Lily, calm down.” James soothed. “You’ve got to remember that Percy is, what, a year old right now?” He glanced at Fred, who thought for a second and nodded. “That makes him five or six when the war ended – he won’t have any scope for the situation.”

**With some assistance from Mandy and Arabella, Mr Weasley explained what had happened in the woods. When they had finished their story, Percy swelled indignantly.**

“Why didn’t we silence him?” Fred groaned. “Git.”

**“Well, Mr Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!” he said. “Running away when he’d expressly told her not to …**

“She was hiding!” Lily snapped. “She was scared – being a house-elf doesn’t mean she doesn’t get scared!”

**… embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry …”  
“For the love of Merlin, Percy, someone conjured the Dark Mark and that person is still unknown!” Mandy snapped. “Believe it or not, Barty Crouch getting a little embarrassed is not the worst thing that happened tonight!”**

“You tell him.” Lily muttered, as Arabella clapped Mandy on the back.

**“Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was?” Ron asked impatiently, before Percy could respond. “It wasn’t hurting anyone … why’s it such a big deal?”**

“Again,” James said before anyone could interrupt, “he would have been a child when it happened. He hasn’t lived through what we have.”

“Yet.” Hermione muttered under her breath. She doubted it wouldn’t get just as bad when Voldemort finally moved out into the open.

From the look on his face, Remus heard her, but he didn’t say anything.

**“I told you before, it’s You-Know-Who’s symbol, Ron.” Hermione answered, before anyone else could answer. “I read about it in _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts._ ”**

**“And it hasn’t been seen for thirteen years.” Mandy added, sinking onto the old sofa, which creaked slightly. “Of course people panicked.”**

Lily closed her eyes. “So Harry dreams about Voldemort and then his sign appears for the first time in thirteen years?”

“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.” Harry said casually.

**“I don’t get it.” Ron frowned. “I mean, it’s still only a shape in the sky …”**

“No, it was so much more than that.” _Addie_ whispered, shuddering.

Everyone from the past exchanged a glance, but it was her younger counterpart who cleared her throat. “When …?”

“It was over their house the night …” _Sirius_ trailed off, remembering the sight of her motionless body illuminated by the sickly green of the Dark Mark “… _that_ night.”

**“Ron …**

Regulus hesitated, but managed to get the name out.

**… Voldemort …” Arabella rolled her eyes when everyone but Hermione, Harry and Mandy flinched. “It’s just a name, people.**

“Every time you call him by a misnomer, you pander to his ego.” _Addie_ stated, her voice deceptively calm. “He can’t even be called human anymore.”

**Voldemort and his followers sent that mark into the sky when they killed. The terror it inspired …” She looked at Mr Weasley. “May I use an example?”**

“Are you sure that’s wise?” David asked with a frown. “They’re just kids.”

Mandy shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t done it yet.”

**Mr Weasley shrugged. “As long as they don’t tell Molly. I think they need to understand.”**

“We did.” Ginny agreed softly. Fred reached over and took her hand, squeezing softly.

**“James – Harry’s father – was an auror, as you may know.” Arabella reached across the table and took Harry’s hand. “So he was right in the thick of it. One day, before Harry was born, we were at Hogwarts, talking to Dumbledore about something, when he got a floo call telling him that the Dark Mark had appeared over a small village in the Midlands.”**

**“Lily nearly fainted.” Mandy continued. “That village was the site James and the others had been called out to earlier that day …**

Lily moved her grip from Harry to James and he wrapped his arms around her, staring at the book.

**… and if the Mark was in the sky …”  
“It meant that someone was dead.” Ron finished, realisation crossing his face.**

“You could stop the story there.” Narcissa said quietly. “They get it.”  
“We won’t.” Mandy predicted. “Not until it’s finished. And something tells me it’s only just beginning.”

**Arabella nodded, taking up the story again. “Lily begged Dumbledore to let her go, but she was pregnant with Harry by now and he reminded her that James would have wanted her to stay put …**

“Damn right I would.” James muttered.

**… so we stayed with her.”**

“Thanks.” Lily whispered.

“Where was I?” Jen asked.

“With me and James.” _Sirius_ answered heavily. “I remember that attack. It was _awful_.”

**“It felt like hours.” Mandy whispered, staring at the wood-grain of the table. “We sat there in silence, waiting.**

_Sirius_ winced. “Waiting was the worst part.” He sighed. “That’s why James, Jen and I preferred being on the same shifts.”

**After a while, Lily started crying, which she really didn’t do often. We’d taken her home by now and she just curled up on the sofa and cried.”**

James buried his face in Lily’s hair, pressing a kiss there.

**“Then there was a knock at the door.” Arabella smiled. “And a voice said, “it’s me.” And Lily looked up, still crying and said, “What am I thinking right now?””**

“Interesting security question.” David commented.

“Most of us had ones like that.” _Sirius_ explained. “The Ministry suggested that you ask people’s favourite ice-cream flavour or their mother’s maiden name. But if you’re going to impersonate someone, you’re going to find that out. So a lot of us had fixed question and answers, that were very personal and that the enemy wouldn’t be expecting.”

**Mandy laughed. “And James said, “James Potter, you arrogant toe-rag, I’m going to kill you for scaring me like that.””**

Lily burst out laughing. “Yeah, that’d work.”

“That reminds me.” Harry said suddenly. “When did you ever call Dad that?”

Lily gave James a fond smile. “All the time before sixth year. It was either that or I carried a pin everywhere so I could deflate his head.”

**The tension broke and several people chuckled.**

**“We let him in and …” Arabella trailed off. “He was covered in blood.**

Lily’s smile faded as quickly as it had come and Regulus kept reading quickly.

**Not his,” she added hastily when Hermione gasped.**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief and smacked James on the arm. “That’s for scaring me.”

**“But he was covered in it. Nearly gave Lily a heart attack. She yelled at him for that and sent him off to the shower, while he muttered something about not being able to win.”**

“I know the feeling.” James muttered, rubbing his arm.

**“You see why everyone was scared now?” Mandy asked Ron.**

**Ron nodded, looking abashed. “Who died?”**

Narcissa rolled her eyes. “Subtle.”

**“Ronald!” Hermione hissed.**

**But neither woman looked offended or that strongly affected by the question.**

“They would have been.” _Sirius_ said heavily. “But not as badly as some people.”

**Instead, they looked at Mr Weasley, who sighed and removed his glasses, nodding.**

**“Fabian and Gideon Prewett.” Mandy answered in a quiet voice. “Your uncles.”**

The Marauders looked down. The Prewett twins were a few years above them and the forerunners to the Marauders.

“They were our idols.” Fred whispered. “Even before we found out about the Marauders. They were planning on opening a joke-shop as well, but then the rest of the family was killed so they became aurors.”

**“They died heroes.” Arabella added. “Took about twenty Death Eaters with them.”**

“How they would have wanted to go.” Remus said quietly.

Fred took a shaky breath. “I know. Doesn’t make it any easier though.”

**“But the Dark Mark … it represented everyone’s worst fears …” Mandy whispered. “The very worst.”**

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes. A tear rolled down _Addie_ ’s face, swiftly followed by another, and another, until she buried her face in _Sirius_ ’s shoulder, shaking slightly. The most terrifying part of that night – until Sirius had arrived and the curse had started taking effect – was lying in the pool of green light, staring across at her sister’s apparently-dead body, knowing that she was the only one still breathing. Leona had turned out to be alive, but she would still never see her parents again.

 _Sirius_ rubbed her back soothingly, guessing that she hadn’t had the chance to grieve yet. Her choked sob cut through the silence and he smiled weakly as everyone looked up. “Bad memories.”

“I’m fine.” She mumbled into his robes. “Keep going.”

 _Sirius_ nodded at Regulus and he found his place again.

**There was silence for a moment, as the Weasleys remembered the fun-loving twins Fred and George so resembled.**

**Then Bill, removing the sheet from his arm to examine the newly-healed cut, said, “Well, it didn’t help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it.**

“We were right.” Jen murmured.

**They all disapparated before we’d got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Roberts’ before they hit the ground though.**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

**They’re having their memories modified right now.”**

**“Death Eaters?” Harry asked. “What are Death Eaters?”**

Harry snorted. “I can’t believe there was a time I didn’t know.”

“It was only last year.” Hermione commented with a sigh. “Doesn’t seem possible.”

**“It’s what You-Know-Who’s supporters called themselves.” Bill explained. “I think we saw what’s left of them tonight – the one’s who managed to keep themselves out of Azkaban anyway.”**

**“We can’t prove it was them, Bill,” said Mr Weasley. “Thought it probably was,” he added hopelessly.**

“Who else would it be?” Lily asked.

“Not everyone who believes in pureblood supremacy joined the Death Eaters.” _Sirius_ admitted. “As much as I’d love it to be true, the world isn’t divided into good people and Death Eaters. There are people who weren’t Death Eaters who would do that after a few drinks, and would wear the garb just to throw people off. But I’m with Arthur – I’d bet a good amount of money it was Death Eaters.”

**“Yeah, I bet it was!” Ron said suddenly. “Dad, we met Draco Malfoy in the woods, and he as good as told us his dad was one of the nutters in masks. And we all know the Malfoys were right in with You-Know-Who!”**

“How did he get away with it?” David asked suddenly. “Surely a trial would have proven that Lucius wasn’t under Imperius.”

“Well, a large amount of money was conveniently donated to the Minister’s office,” Draco explained innocently, “and the Minister granted Father a full pardon. Can you believe it?”

**“But what were Voldemort’s supporters …” Harry began, making the Weasleys flinch again.**

**“Just a name.” Arabella repeated, rolling her eyes.**

**“What were they up to, levitating Muggles?” Harry asked. “I mean, what was the point?”**

“There’s no point.” _Sirius_ stated darkly. “It’s a bit of fun for them.”

**“The point?” Mr Weasley gave a hollow laugh. “Harry, that’s their idea of fun. Half the Muggle killings back when You-Know-Who was in power were done for fun. I suppose they had a few drinks tonight and couldn’t resist reminding us all that lots of them are still at large. A nice little reunion for them,” he finished disgustedly.**

“Idiots, the lot of them.” _Addie_ muttered scathingly, causing several people to jump. Her red-rimmed gaze was still fixed on the floor and she still leaned heavily against _Sirius_ , taking comfort in his presence.

**“But if they _were_ the Death Eaters, why did they Disapparate when they saw the Dark Mark?” said Ron. “They’d have been pleased to see it, wouldn’t they?”**

**“Use your brains, Ron,” said Bill.**

“Does he have any?” Ginny asked innocently.

**“If they really were Death Eaters, they worked really hard to keep out of Azkaban …”**

“Wasn’t that hard.” _Sirius_ snorted. “They bribed officials – it doesn’t take much. Maybe I should have tried it,” he added thoughtfully. “Might have made it easier.”

**Mandy snorted. “Because it takes so much effort to move money around.” She muttered, before raising her voice so they could hear her clearly. “Bill’s right. They’d be even more frightened than the rest of us to see him come back. They’d denied they’d ever been involved with him when he lose his powers and went back to their daily lives … I don’t reckon he’d be over-pleased with them, do you?”**

“Definitely not.” Regulus murmured, thinking back to what Hermione had said – he’d been killed by Voldemort in her time. What had he done? Or not done?

**“So … whoever conjured the Dark Mark …” said Hermione slowly, “were they doing it to show support for the Death Eaters, or to scare them away?”**

“Good question.” David sighed. “One I doubt you’ll get an answer to anytime soon.”

**“Your guess is as good as ours, Hermione,” said Mr Weasley. “But I’ll tell you this … it was only the Death Eaters who ever knew how to conjure it. I’d be very surprised if the person who did it hasn’t been a Death Eater once, even if they’re not now …**

“Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater.” David scowled.

“That’s not true.” _Addie_ disagreed calmly. “Regulus was no more a Death Eater than I am when … it happened.”

“When what happened?” _Sirius_ asked, though he knew the answer. Did she know how his brother had died?

“Don’t make me say it.” _Addie_ sighed. “It’ll come up at some point, I’m sure. Assuming I ever get back.”

“You will.” _Sirius_ stated. “You have to.”

**Listen, it’s very late, and if your mother hears what’s happened she’ll be worried sick.**

“She’ll hear.” Lily predicted. “They won’t keep something like this quiet.”

**We’ll get a few more hours’ sleep and then try to get an early Portkey out of here.”**

“That was a nightmare.” Fred commented. “Everyone had the same bloody idea.”

“I don’t blame them.” Lily muttered.

**Hermione and Ginny went back to their tent and stared at the bunk-beds for a few seconds. Without a word, they both climbed into the bottom bunk, two sisters seeking comfort from each other.**

The Gryffindor girls exchanged a sad smile, remembering the times they had done the same – after Annabelle had passed away and Mandy and Arabella’s parents had been killed.

**Hermione knew she ought to feel exhausted; it was nearly three in the morning, but she felt wide awake – wide awake and worried.**

“Who wouldn’t?” Jen asked quietly.

**Ginny was shivering next to her …**

“I was terrified.” Ginny whispered, leaning against Fred as he hugged her.

**… and didn’t stop for a long time, but long after her breathing had evened out, Hermione lay awake, staring at the empty bunk above her, thinking …**

“What were you thinking?” James asked curiously.

Hermione shrugged. “Wondering who cast the Dark Mark, how they got Harry’s wand, what was happening at Hogwarts, did anyone else have the same bad feeling as me …”

“Alright, I get it.” James cut her off with a chuckle. “Just generally worrying then?”

“Pretty much.” Hermione agreed with a laugh.

**The next morning, the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione took the earliest Portkey they could back to Ottery St. Catchpole.**

**“They’ll be talking about this one for years.” Ludo Bagman had said, after Bulgaria’s shock victory – and they certainly would, though not for the right reasons.**

**The team mascots had started a brawl on the pitch, a group of wizards and witches – who may or may not have been the Death Eaters who escaped Azkaban – had kidnapped a family of Muggles and gone on the rampage, and the Dark Mark – Voldemort’s sign – had been fired into the sky metres from where Hermione, Ron and Harry had been standing.**

“Not the greatest experience, really.” Arabella commented, frowning.

**But the thing that preyed on Hermione’s mind happened in the woods around the camp site while they were hiding from the rioting crowd …**

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Really? The thing that happened with me was worrying you more than anything else?”

“It shouldn’t.” Hermione conceded. “But I did keep revisiting it, yes.”

**It was quite unnerving, realising that she had misjudged someone who she had gone to school with for three years, especially someone who regularly inserted himself into their lives without invitation or provocation.**

Harry sniggered. “That’s a nice way of putting it.”

Draco sighed. “You were supposed to misjudge me, Hermione. That’s the point.”

**_How many other people have I done that to?_ **

Draco shrugged as everyone looked at him. “No idea. I can tell you that Zabini and Greengrass are neutral and that Nott and Parkinson will take the Mark as soon as they have an opportunity, but other than that …”

**Mrs Weasley was, understandably, frantic by the time they arrived home …**

“Who wouldn’t be?” Jen murmured.

**… and it was only once she’d been given a cup of tea with a shot of firewhiskey in it …**

David chuckled, albeit a little sadly. “I used to have to do that with Emmy when I got home after raids.”

James looked down at the floor with a sad smile. Even after eight years, memories of his mother were bittersweet. He glanced at Harry, who was having a silent conversation with Hermione, and instantly felt guilty. He’d had nine years with his mother – Harry hadn’t even had two.

**… and Arthur and Percy had gone to work that Hermione had a chance to talk to the others.**

**Harry, Ron and Ginny followed her up to the boys’ room and the trio told Ginny about the events in the woods, elaborating where they hadn’t the night before. Like Harry and Ron, Ginny was intrigued at the speed with which Hermione had managed to drag Harry and Ron away from Draco …**

“You have to admit, that was weird.” Ginny pointed out.

“I’ve tried loads of times.” Hermione protested.

“Key word: tried.” Harry agreed. “You’ve never been so … adamant before.”

**… which was usually at least a three-person job (one to talk Harry down and two to grab hold of Ron).**

Hermione sighed. “It’s not my fault they’re so stubborn.”

**“That’s a good point, Hermione.” Harry agreed. “You’ve never managed to get us to do that before.”**

**“I’d say it wasn’t the time, but I’d be lying.” Hermione sighed. “I’m an empath.”**

“Direct – best way to do it.” Remus commented.

“And how would you know?” James asked lightly. “We had to nudge you into telling us and even then you stammered over it so much that we did it for you.”

**Ginny and Ron’s expressions didn’t change, but their emotions changed from curiosity to worry laced with panic.**

Ginny winced. “Sorry, Hermione.”

Hermione waved it off. “I’m fine.”

**Hermione collapsed on Harry’s bed. “Come on, guys; I’m still me.”**

**“What _is_ an empath?” Harry asked.**

**“A Dark Creature that feeds of other people’s emotions.”**

Hermione rolled her eyes. “What books were _you_ reading?”

“The Ministry-sanctioned ones.” Ginny answered dryly.

 _Sirius_ snorted. “That explains _so_ much.”

**Ginny answered quietly. “A bit like a Dementor, but doesn’t focus on happy thoughts.”**

**Hermione laughed.**

“I couldn’t help it.” Hermione sniggered. “That was the biggest load of bollocks I’d ever heard.”

**“Ginny, that’s ridiculous! Empaths don’t feed on emotions!”**

**“They don’t?” Ron asked. “That’s what the legends say.”**

Remus rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because all legends are true.”

**“Yeah, well, the legends say that werewolves eat small children even when it’s not the full moon, don’t they?” Harry frowned.**

“Good example.” James commented.

**“Besides Hermione’s not dark.”**

**Hermione beamed at him, as the panic in the air receded rapidly.**

**“Of course she’s not.” Ginny agreed. “I’m sorry, Hermione – I should have known those stories weren’t true.”**

“You really should.” Fred frowned slightly, glancing at her.

“Leave her alone.” Hermione told him. “She apologised.”

**“Yeah, we should.” Ron seconded, his ears bright red.**

**Harry sighed wearily. “We still haven’t established what an empath actually is.”**

**Hermione chuckled and told them everything she’d read and found out …**

“Which wasn’t much.” Hermione conceded, looking slightly put out.

“I think there’s something in the library at Grimmauld Place.” _Sirius_ told her. “But I’d prefer it if you let me take a look and check for curses first.”

**… before explaining what had happened in the woods. “Malfoy wasn’t making any sense.”**

**“Does he ever?” Ron asked blankly.**

There were a few sniggers, and Draco cracked a grin. “Well, I do make a mission of confusing him.”

**Hermione stifled a snigger. “I mean his emotions weren’t making any sense. At the match, it was like he hates his father.”**

“I do.” Draco said coldly.

**Ron frowned. “How can you hate your own father?**

“Easily.” Sirius drawled. “Our father would have handed us over to Voldemort himself if he thought it would increase his favour.”  
“I didn’t think your parents _were_ Death Eaters.” Hermione commented.

“Only because they have the power and the money to be useful without actively participating.” _Sirius_ corrected.

“And children to hand over to the cause.” Jen added darkly.

**Besides, Hermione, we were there in the woods with you, remember? He loved what was happening.”**

Draco rolled his eyes. “He’d never make it in Slytherin, thank Merlin.” **  
Hermione shook her head. “He was scared, Ron. When he warned me …”**

**“Threatened you, you mean.” Ron growled.**

**“Self-loathing.” Hermione corrected. “He was genuinely concerned and he was telling us that his father was in that crowd. Lucius Malfoy knows who I am; he would know I was Muggle-born, even if the others didn’t. Oh!”**

Lily looked startled. “What?”

**“What?” Harry asked sharply.**

**“In the Top Box, someone passed me a note while everyone else was distracted by the Veela.” Hermione rummaged through her pockets, and finally found the crumpled piece of parchment.**

Narcissa leaned forwards, interested to know if the note was from her.

**“Tell SB I’m sorry. He was right. NBM.”**

“I was right.” Jen smiled. “It was from you, Cissy.”

“Right about what?” Sirius asked. “Aside from the obvious, of course, but …”  
“Before she married Lucius, I visited her,” _Sirius_ said softly, “I told her that she was about to make the biggest mistake of her life and would she please just let Jen and I help her.”

Narcissa smiled weakly, laying a hand on Draco’s arm. “Well, at least _one_ good thing came out of it.”

**Ginny’s eyebrows rose into her hairline. “What?”  
“Well …” Hermione frowned. “SB … Those are Sirius’s initials.”**

**“Wait, someone knows …”**

“I never figured out how that was.” Hermione commented.

“Father heard from Fudge how you three had been ‘Confunded’.” Draco told her. “Mum would have known that Sirius wasn’t a Death Eater – she must have guessed that you’d still be in contact with him.”

**Harry’s face paled. “What if …”**

**Hermione held up a hand. “NBM – Narcissa Malfoy.”**

**Ron snorted. “What’s her middle name? Betty?”**

Narcissa rolled her eyes. “I know that the Weasleys don’t hold any stock in blood purity – and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing – but surely it’s to your advantage to at least be aware of the different families and their politics?”

“Dad does teach us.” Fred told her. “Ron just never listened.”

“No, he thought _you_ never listened.” Ginny corrected. “You and George messed around so much that he thought what we were being told was useless.”  
Fred groaned. “I’ll knock some sense into him when we get back.”

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “That’s not a middle name, Ron; it’s a maiden name. Narcissa Black-Malfoy. She’s one of Sirius’s cousins.”**

**“She is?” Harry asked blankly.**

**“What was Sirius right about?” Ginny asked.**

**Hermione shrugged. “He’ll know.”**

**“But what if they’re watching?” Harry protested.**

“Good.” David whispered. “Don’t let your guard down.”

**“We’ll send it with a school owl.” Ginny said. “They’d be less conspicuous than Hedwig.**

“You should do probably do that anyway.” Jen commented.

**Speaking of Hedwig, why’d you ask Mum if she’d come with a letter?”**

**“There’s something I haven’t told you.” Harry admitted. “On Saturday morning, I woke up with my scar hurting.”**

“Well, it’s about time.” Lily commented. “You should have told them straight away, Harry.”

“Yeah.” Jen agreed with an innocent smile. “Because Lily tells us straight away when she’s worried about something. Oh, no, wait a second … Sorry, she hides it until it eats away at her and she starts snapping at us. Close enough.”

Lily rolled her eyes and turned to Harry. “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Harry hid a smirk. “Yes Mum.”

**Hermione gasped and Ron looked dumbstruck.**

“You had their reactions down.” Remus chuckled.

**“It might just be me.” Ginny spoke up. “But what’s so terrible?”**

“I thought they were speaking in code or something.” Ginny admitted with a laugh. “That, or they’d gone mad.”

**“The last time my scar hurt, Voldemort was at Hogwarts.” Harry explained in an undertone, causing Ginny to turn white.**

**“But…But You-Know-Who couldn’t have been near you, could he?” Ron asked.**

Fred rolled his eyes. “Again, Ron, I think Harry would have known.”

**Harry shook his head. “I don’t think he was in Privet Drive, but I had this weird dream, about Voldemort and someone else …**

“You could have told us.” Hermione muttered.

Harry shrugged. “Well, I don’t know whether it was instinct or not, but you hate Wormtail as much as I do. I was kind of scared to.”

**… and they were talking about a plan. I couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to be. But they’d definitely killed someone.”**

**Ginny gasped. “Tell someone!”**

**“Who?” Ron asked. “Who is going to believe…?”**

**“Write to Dumbledore.” Hermione interrupted. “Did you? Is that why you wanted to know if Hedwig had come?”**

**“No, I wrote to Sirius.” Harry corrected.**

**Ron’s face immediately cleared. “Good idea! He’ll know what to do!”**

Addie smirked. “There’s something I never thought I’d hear.”

“I’m sure I knew exactly what to do.” Sirius said in a slightly haughty tone.

His future self hid a smirk. “Yep. I wrote to Dumbledore.”

Sirius deflated. “Seriously?”

“Can I do anything in any other way?”

 _Addie_ groaned. “So this is where it all ends. Sirius Black, locked in a never-ending pun war with himself. We’re doomed.”

**“But I haven’t heard back yet.” Harry sighed. “I’m worried.”**

**“About Sirius?” Ginny asked sympathetically.**

**“No.”**

“Yes.” Harry corrected. “But that wasn’t what I was talking about.”

**Harry sighed again. “They were plotting to kill someone else. Me.”**

“At least you told us.” Hermione sighed.

**Hermione and Ginny looked worried, but Ron clapped him on the back. “It was just a dream! A nightmare!”**

“Did he really believe that?” Jen asked.

Hermione shrugged. “I think it was wishful thinking.”

**“Yeah, but was it?” Harry asked, turning to look out of the window at the brightening sky. “It’s a weird coincidence, isn’t it? My scar hurts and, three days later, Death Eaters are on the march and Voldemort’s sign appears in the sky for the first time in thirteen years.”**

Lily shuddered.

**“Don’t say the name!” Ron hissed.**

**“It was awful.” Ginny shuddered. “And it’s only a name.”**

The Marauders beamed at her and she blushed slightly.

**“How can you say it?” Ron asked. “And how did you know what the Dark Mark was?”**

**Ginny flinched. “Tom already had that sign made when he was sixteen.”**

James opened his mouth, but Lily smacked him in the chest, cutting off whatever he was going to say.

**Harry gave her a comforting smile and turned back to Ron. “And remember what Trelawney said at the end of last year?”**

**Hermione gave a derisive snort. “Oh, Harry, you aren’t going to believe anything that old fraud says?”**

“This was a real prophecy though.” Jen pointed out. “Though I agree about her being an old fraud.”

**“You weren’t there.” Harry reminded her. “It was different. You didn’t hear her. She was in some kind of trance; a real one. She said that the Dark Lord would rise again – _greater and more terrible than before_ – and he would manage this because his servant would return to him … and that night Wormtail escaped.”**

**Hermione changed the subject hopefully. “Speaking of prophecies, what about this dream, Harry? Jess’s, I mean.”**

“It was nice you were finally letting me in and all,” Ginny smiled, “but I would have appreciated some sort of explanation.”

**“Who?” Ginny asked.**

**Ron explained about Jessica’s propensity for true/prophetic dreams while Harry searched his trunk, eventually pulling out piece of Muggle paper, half-covered in neat handwriting.**

**Hermione took it and read it through. “The pits of dark are seeded, this warning must be heeded, touch of cup brings respite’s end, and love and strength are keys to mend.”**

“What?” James asked.

Lily frowned. “That’s a bit more prophetic than the one in third year, isn’t it?”

“Well, it’s a warning about something …” Jen said with a frown.

“Thanks, Jen, we hadn’t noticed.” Sirius muttered, rolling his eyes.

Jen glared at him and continued, “Something that will happen at the touch of a cup. But what cup?”

“Maybe it’s a warning about the Dark Mark.” Remus suggested. “‘Pits of dark are seeded’ could be referring to the Death Eaters getting restless. And the cup could be the Quidditch World Cup.”

Regulus sighed. “You do realise that I’m about to read about this lot trying to figure it out as well, don’t you?”

“Go on then.” Jen said neutrally, not looking at him.

**She pulled a face. “You’re right, Harry. This is much more cryptic than the last one. Although you did tell me that one in hindsight, which may have made it a bit easier for us.**

“That’s true.” Lily conceded.

**Anything else?”**

**Harry sighed. “Well, yes and no. She said that she couldn’t _see_ anything, just hear it. It was like a voice talking in her ear, but before and after that poem was recited, the voice was too quiet to really hear, except a few words that were shouted.” He pointed to the next line.**

**“Red … rat … grim … heed warning …” Hermione pulled a face “… betrayal … end respite … cup.”**

Lily frowned, mouthing the words to herself. “Well, red, rat and grim obviously refer to the end of third year, possibly …” She shook her head. “I’ve got nothing though.”

**She sighed. “I honestly have nothing.”**

“You’re not the only one.” James said with a weak smile. **  
Ginny held out her hand. “Can I try?”**

**Hermione shrugged. “Knock yourself out.”**

**Ginny ran her gaze over the page several times. “When did she have it?”**

**Harry frowned thoughtfully. “June, I think.”**

**“So about the time you found out about Sirius.” Ginny concluded, frowning at the page. “Is that ‘grim’ with a capital letter?**

“Is there a difference?” Sirius asked.

“A large one, dear.” Addie rolled her eyes. “Between an adjective and a noun.”

**Because if it is,” she continued, not giving Harry a chance to respond, “then it could refer to everyone’s favourite fugitive.”**

“I’m your favourite?” Sirius asked, pretending to be overly flattered.

Ginny smiled. “Well, of course you are. Of course, you are the only fugitive I know, so that might have something to do with it.”

“Probably.” Addie agreed.

**“How?” Ron asked blankly.**

**Hermione sighed wearily. “Grim without a capital letter is an adjective, Ron, meaning dismal or gloomy. Grim with a capital letter is a proper noun, meaning a large black dog. As in the kind Trelawney insisted was following Harry all last year.”**

“Don’t say that!” Lily groaned. “You’ll prove Harry right, and I really don’t want to think about that prophecy!”

**“And he was.” Harry put in slightly smugly. “Makes that prophecy seem a bit more genuine, doesn’t it?”**

“See?” Lily sighed. **  
Hermione just rolled her eyes. “You’re right, Gin. And running with that line, the red would be your family – redheads …**

“Missed the obvious.” Hermione admitted with a smile.

**… and the rat would be Wormtail.” She stood up from Harry’s bed and began pacing, which wasn’t easy in the small space. “Harry, did Jess write those words down in the order she heard them?”**

**“I think so.” Harry confirmed.**

“With flashes of colour.” Harry added. “Rather than pictures. She said there was a lot of red, but also some black, brown, green and grey.”

**“Why?”**

**Hermione sighed. “Because ‘heed warning’, coupled with that poem, seems to refer to something that’s _going_ to happen. Now, if the word ‘betrayal’ came first, then it could refer to Wormtail. But it came afterwards.” Her gaze swept over them, resting on Ron a fraction of a second longer than Ginny and Harry.**

Fred raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“I’d picked up more bad emotions from him than the other two.” Hermione shrugged. “Well, from Ginny, really. Obviously it wasn’t Harry, or Jess wouldn’t be warning him.”

**“There may well be a split here.”  
“Never.” Harry stated simply.**

“That’s what I would have said.” James murmured, glancing at the empty seat beside Mandy, where Peter had once sat.

**Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Harry,” she said gently, “don’t you think that’s what the Marauders once said?”**

**“Come on, Hermione.” Ron rolled his eyes. “None of us is going to betray him to You-Know-Who.”**

**“There are different kinds of betrayal, Ron.” Ginny said quietly.**

**Ron looked uncomfortable. “Well, maybe. But some of those words are repeated in that poem. What cup’s it talking about?**

“Could be the House Cup.” Sirius suggested. “Or the Quidditch Cup.”

**And what’s a respite?”**

**“It’s a temporary suspension of something.” Hermione recited.**

**Ron shook his head. “I swear you’re a walking dictionary.**

“Just like Moony.” Sirius joked.

Addie swatted him over the head. “Shut up, Padfoot.”

**In English, please?”**

**Ginny rolled her eyes and swatted her brother on the head. “Honestly, Ron. A respite is when there’s a pause in something. In this case, this temporary holiday you three have had from danger is going to end, and you’ll be right back in the thick of it.”**

Lily sighed, resigning herself to the fact that her son would be in danger yet again. “Oh, alright! But I don’t like it.”

**“Story of my life.” Harry muttered. “Do you think it means the Quidditch World Cup? Could it be a warning about the Death Eaters?”**

Remus and Harry exchanged a smile.

**“I don’t think so.” Hermione sighed. “That first line – the pits of dark are seeded – I think it’s talking about the prophecy, Harry.”**

**“Oh, so you believe in Trelawney now then.” Harry teased.**

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “I believe Jess, Harry. Besides, what happened at the Cup wasn’t personal. All through the summer, I’ve felt that something awful’s going to happen, and I still have that feeling.”**

“You weren’t the only one.” Harry muttered.

**As the four sank into silence, Hermione sank back onto the bed and closed her eyes. As much as it pained her to admit it, she knew she was right. This ride was only just beginning.**

“And we have yet another cliff-hanger.” Regulus commented, closing the book.


	16. Chapter Fourteen - Revelations

“Here.” David took the book and turned it to the next page.

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Revelations**

Everyone sat up straight, wondering what was going to be revealed in the next few pages.

**The rest of the summer passed in a blur of activity, Ginny’s birthday …**

“August 11th.” Ginny put in, seeing a few curious glances her way.

**… and trying to figure out how possessions had spread across the house so thoroughly.**

Addie laughed. “Ours always do that.”

**Illusions to something happening at Hogwarts were made several times …**

“That’s just mean.” James frowned.

**… but, unfortunately, by September 1st, they were no closer to figuring out what this mysterious event was.**

Lily looked thoughtful. “Any ideas?”

David shook his head. “If it’s what I think it is, I dread to think what the Ministry’s thinking.”

“The Ministry can think?” _Addie_ asked innocently. She knew what had happened, thanks to Cedric’s tale, but she still didn’t have all the details.

Nor did she want to hear them, given that the Tournament had ended with the Killing Curse.

It had taken every ounce of control she had not to grab Harry in a tight hug when she first arrived and not let go.

**Hermione really wasn’t that bothered about what was going to happen. She was far too distracted by Jess’s dream, by Malfoy’s emotions and by Narcissa’s note.**

“So sorry.” Draco drawled. “I didn’t mean to confuse you.”  
“But it’s a welcome side effect?” Hermione guessed with a smirk.

**At Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, Fred made one last-ditch effort. “Tell us what’s happening at Hogwarts!” He called out of the window as the train began to move.**

“Not going to work.” Sirius chuckled. “Nice try though.”

**But Molly, Charlie and Bill just waved and, before the Express had rounded the corner, they had disappeared.**

**Disappointed, Fred and George disappeared to find Lee Jordan and Ginny wandered off with her friends. Hermione, Ron and Harry found an empty compartment and stowed their luggage away, trying to ignore the rain pounding on the window.**

Remus grimaced. “Sounds like a nice day to go back to school.”

“At least they don’t have anyone eavesdropping this time.” Jen murmured to him, causing her boyfriend to grin sheepishly.

**Ron grumbled something under his breath, but Hermione didn’t hear what he said …**

“Oh, I heard.” Hermione smirked. “I just wasn’t paying attention.”

**… she was too busy staring at the horrible maroon, lacy … thing that he’d thrown over Pig’s cage in an attempt to shut the tiny owl up. “What in Merlin’s name are those?”**

**“My dress robes.” Ron answered …**

“Oh dear.” Lily sighed, as Fred sniggered at the memory.

**… glaring at her as if daring her to make a comment.**

**Hermione nodded with a slight smirk. “They’re interesting.”**

**“Oh, shut up!” Ron snapped.**

**Hermione began to retort that her own weren’t exactly the epitome of fashion …**

“Mum bought me some.” Hermione explained, seeing everyone’s questioning glances. “But they had to meet my father’s approval first, so …”

“Hello, turtleneck.” Jen rolled her eyes.

“Exactly.” Hermione agreed.

 _Addie_ chuckled. “I guess Jen never got that memo.”  
 _Sirius_ sighed. “You are _never_ going to let me live that down, are you?”

“What happened?” Jen asked, half-intrigued, half in dread.

 _Addie_ smirked. “They had a Christmas Eve Ball in seventh year. Now I would not have said your dress robes were that low-cut, but you and Mr. Overprotective here had a blazing row in the Common Room about how appropriate they were. Long story short, I came down in robes with exactly the same neckline and he promptly shut up.”

Jen chuckled. “Well, he’s always been a bit of a hypocrite.”

**… when…**

**“Ssh!” Harry hissed suddenly.**

**A familiar voice was floating through the open door. “… Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore … the man’s such a Mudblood lover and Durmstrang doesn’t admit that sort of riff-raff. But Mother didn’t like the idea of me going to school so far away.**

“Or to a school like that.” Narcissa frowned.

**Father says Durmstrang students actually _learn_ them, not the Defence rubbish we do.**

“Not really.” Jen frowned. “It’s definitely not what the Ministry would sanction, but then very little is.”

**Far more sensible, in his opinion …”**

**Now she was aware of it, Hermione could hear the mocking tone in his voice when he talked about ‘Mudbloods’ and quoted his father’s rather scathing view of their headmaster.**

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Was it that obvious?”

“No.” Hermione answered.

**Thoroughly irritated that she didn’t know what was going on with Draco Malfoy, Hermione got up and slid the door closed. “So he thinks Durmstrang would have suited him, does he? I wish he had gone, then we wouldn’t have to put up with him.” She muttered …**

Hermione winced. “Sorry.”

Draco shrugged. “You’ve wounded me.” He told her flatly. “I may never recover.”

**… feeling uncharacteristically vindictive.**

**“Durmstrang’s another wizarding school?” Harry asked.**

“Read, Harry.” Hermione sighed.

**“Yes.” Hermione answered, sitting down again. “According to _An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe_ , it puts a lot of emphasis on the Dark Arts.”**

“That’s true.” Sirius conceded.

**“I think I’ve heard of it.” Ron added casually. “What country’s it in?”**

**Hermione raised her eyebrows. “Well, nobody knows, do they?”**

**“Er … why not?” Harry asked.**

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “There’s traditionally a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts so nobody can steal their secrets.”  
** “It’s not so much rivalry as it is paranoia.” Jen commented with a smirk.

**“Come off it!” Ron started to laugh. “Durmstrang’s got to be about the same size as Hogwarts, how are you going to hide a dirty great castle?”**

Fred groaned. “Oh Merlin …”

“Your brother’s name’s Ron, Fred.” Hermione reminded him teasingly.

**“But Hogwarts _is_ hidden.” Hermione stated, surprised, as always, by Ron’s lack of knowledge.**

“I don’t know why anymore.” Hermione sighed.

**_I’m the Muggle-born one here._ **

“We’re both as bad as each other.” Harry pointed out. “But sometimes I wonder why Ron doesn’t know things.”

“Because he doesn’t pay any attention.” Fred sighed. “The whole ‘being pureblood doesn’t matter’ thing sank into his head and he didn’t bother listening to anything else.”

**“Everyone knows that … Well, everyone who’s read _Hogwarts: A History_ , anyway.”**

Lily chuckled. “Unfortunately, Hermione, that’s not many people.”

**“Just you then.” Ron concluded. “So go on – how d’you hide a place like Hogwarts?”**

“Same way you hide a place like Grimmauld Place but without the Fidelius Charm.” _Sirius_ answered.

“Or the dark magic.” Jen added.

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “The place is the Headquarters of the Light Resistance. We got rid of the dark magic.”  
“It’s probably safer _with_ it.” Jen muttered.

Several people gave her a funny look, but _Sirius_ gave a humourless smile. “You’re probably right.”

**“It’s bewitched.” Hermione explained. “If a Muggle looks at it, all they’ll see is a mouldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE.”**

“There have to be Muggle-Repelling Charms on it as well.” Lily commented. “A lot of Muggles – especially teenagers – would take that as a challenge.”

**“So Durmstrang’ll just look like a ruin to an outsider too?”**

“Unlikely.” Jen disagreed. “They’ll have something similar, but they won’t want exactly the same.”

**“Maybe.” Hermione shrugged. “Or it might have Muggle-Repelling Charms on it, like the World Cup Stadium. I bet they’ve made it Unplottable …” She added as an afterthought.**

“Probably.” James nodded.

**“Come again?” Harry interrupted.**

**Hermione sighed. “Well, you can enchant a building so it’s impossible to plot on a map, can’t you?”**

**Harry blinked. “Er … if you say so.”**

Lily chuckled fondly. “Oh Harry …”

**Hermione shook her head and thought back to Ron’s original question. “I think Durmstrang must be somewhere in the north. Somewhere very cold, because they’ve got fur capes as part of their uniform.”**

**Harry stared at her. “I don’t even want to know how you know that.”**

“I read, Harry.” Hermione sighed.

**Ron, of course, wasn’t paying any attention. “Ah, think of the possibilities. It would’ve been so easy to push Malfoy off a glacier and make it look like an accident.**

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I love Ron, but I swear he doesn’t think before he speaks sometimes.”  
Draco shrugged. “I’d have said the same thing about him.”

**Shame his mother likes him.”**

**Hermione bit back a disapproving remark …**

“That must’ve been hard.” Harry teased.

**… and went back to staring out of the window. The further north they went, the heavier the rain became.**

Mandy sighed. “Good start to the term.”

“Not particularly.” Hermione grimaced, rubbing her neck. “Peeves decided it would be a good time to throw water balloons.”

“One of them hit you?” Lily asked sympathetically.

“No, McGonagall came running out to yell at him, skidded across the floor and grabbed hold of me for balance,” Hermione answered, Harry sniggering next to her.

**By mid afternoon, the lanterns had been lit just to allow them to see clearly. Seamus, Dean and Neville had joined them and the boys were sitting among empty sweet wrappers, talking nothing but Quidditch.**

“What else is there to talk about?” Draco asked flatly.

Harry pointed to him. “Exactly my point.”

**Uninterested with the conversation, Hermione was buried in _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4._**

“You’ve got time.” Harry told her. “You’re smart enough to not need the whole train journey to study.”

Hermione just smirked.

**However, she wasn’t reading it.**

“Wait, what?” Harry frowned. “But you … we … if you …”

David chuckled. “Why don’t I put you out of your misery, Harry?”

**Instead, she was composing a letter to one of her year-mates and trying to disguise her handwriting. She’d have to be careful, though; Harry and Ron might trust her judgement, but they still wouldn’t be happy about her corresponding with Draco Malfoy, of all people.**

Harry shook his vehemently and Hermione rolled her eyes.

“How were you planning on getting it to him?” Narcissa asked curiously.

Hermione smiled. “He’s predictable.”

**She vaguely heard Neville telling the others how lucky they were, because his grandmother hadn’t let him go, and saw, out of the corner of her eye, Ron showing him the model of Viktor Krum.**

Harry and Hermione exchanged a smirk.

**“Saw him right up close too.” Ron was saying excitedly. “Show him what he gave you, Harry! Hermione translated for the Bulgarian Minister.” He explained to the other three. “He introduced them.”**

**“How’d you end up doing that?” Dean asked, when Hermione glanced up at her name.**

**Hermione turned slightly pink. It hadn’t been a conscious decision.“He was giving me a headache.” She grimaced. “It just sort of happened. He spoke English anyway – just didn’t like Fudge.”**

**Over the sniggering, Harry pulled a Snitch out of his trunk. “Look.”**

**Dean gasped. “That’s not …”**

**“That is!” Seamus gaped. “He gave you the game-Snitch?!”**

**Harry nodded, a broad grin on his face.**

**Hermione buried her face back in her book, hiding a frown.**

“How can you frown about that?” James asked faintly.

**It wasn’t the action that bugged her, but the exchange that followed …**

“Ah.” James sighed.

**Hermione sighed, pushing her concern about Ron out of her mind, and focused her attention back on disguising her handwriting. Now the only problem lay with actually getting the note to him.**

**_Shouldn’t be too hard._ **

**“We were right up in the Top Box …” Ron was saying.**

**“For the first and last time in your life, Weasley.”**

“Like I said,” Hermione said as everyone turned to look at Draco, “he’s predictable.”

**Hermione glanced up and suppressed a smirk. Draco Malfoy and his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, had predictably appeared in the doorway.**

**“Don’t remember asking you to join us, Malfoy.” Harry said coolly, putting the Snitch back in his trunk.**

**“Weasley, what is _that?_ ” Draco asked, pointing at Pig’s cage. Ron’s dress robes were still covering it, one lacy sleeve swaying with the motion of the train.**

The boys winced.

“Bad timing.” Jen grimaced.

**While he was distracted, Hermione flicked her wand and floated the disguised note into the pocket of his robes. _Trouble with your father? You’re not alone. A friend._**

“Subtle.” Regulus commented sarcastically.

Hermione rolled her eyes, taking the remark with as much malice as had been intended. “Gimme a break – I was a fourteen-year-old Gryffindor.”

**Ron turned red and tried to stuff the robes out of sight, but Draco was too quick for him and grabbed them.**

**“Look at this!” He held them up to show Crabbe and Goyle. “Weasley, you weren’t thinking of _wearing_ these, were you? I mean, they were very fashionable in about 1890 …”**

**“Of course he wasn’t.” Hermione cut in, before Ron could say anything.**

“I really wish you wouldn’t do that.” Draco sighed. “It’s fun riling him up.”

Hermione gave him a stern look, before Narcissa could. “That doesn’t make it right.”

Draco’s lips twitched. “Yes, Mum.”

**“He’s going to magically alter them. Just because he has manners and isn’t about to insult a great-aunt when she sends him gifts doesn’t mean he’s stupid.”**

“No, but leaving them out on the train where people like me can see them?” Draco raised an eyebrow.

Hermione inclined her head. “You have a point.”

**Draco raised an eyebrow at her and threw the dress robes back. “So, going to enter, Weasley? Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name? There’s money involved as well, you know …”**

“No …” David broke off. “They didn’t!”

“They did.” Harry said glumly, picking at the frayed denim of his jeans.

“Did what?” James asked. “Dad, what’s happening at Hogwarts?”

David shook his head. “Something incredibly stupid. Whose bright idea was this?”

Hermione shrugged. “Barty Crouch’s, I think.”

**“What are you talking about?” Ron snapped.**

**“Are you going to enter?” Draco repeated. “I suppose _you_ will, Potter; you never miss a chance to show off, do you?” A smile spread across his face. “You don’t know, don’t you? Father heard about it from Cornelius Fudge himself, but then he’s always associated with top people at the Ministry.”**

“Seems the Minister isn’t paying too much attention to classified information.” Lily commented.

“That explains so much.” Hermione sighed.

**“Oh, you must be talking about what Mr. Bagman was on about.” Hermione said coolly. “Too bad Mr. Crouch stopped him before he could tell us.”**

“Now _that’s_ more like it.” Regulus remarked.

“I wouldn’t call that subtlety.” Hermione frowned. “Wasn’t what I was going for, to be honest.”

“No, but still very Slytherin.” Regulus told her with a smile. “Must be the Black in you.”  
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Hermione chuckled, as _Sirius_ laughed.

**She turned to the other three boys. “Apparently, it’s ‘classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it’. Clearly, some people have more respect for Ministry guidelines than others. But, in answer to your question, Malfoy, no, I don’t think any of us will enter. The rules have been changed and the only thing that would make Mrs. Weasley that relieved would be if we couldn’t enter.**

David looked up.

“Seventeen and over only.” Hermione said, in answer to his unspoken question.  
“I really wish you’d stop talking in riddles.” Sirius muttered.

**So thank you for your concern; good day.” She watched smugly as the three Slytherins walked out, stunned shock on their faces.**

Draco grimaced. “It wasn’t that obvious, was it?”

“Yes.” Harry smirked. “It was a good look for you.”

**Ron stood up and slid the door shut so hard that the glass fell out and shattered.**

“Sirius.” Addie ‘coughed’ loudly.

**“Ron!” Hermione snapped reproachfully. She pulled her wand out and pointed it at the glass. “ _Repairo!_ ” The glass flew back into the door.**

**“Well, making it look like he knows everything and we don’t …” Ron snarled.**

“Oh, so I did get under his skin.” Draco commented. “That’s good.”

**“ _Father’s always associated with the top people at the Ministry_. Dad could’ve got a promotion any time he likes; he just likes it where he is!”**

**“Of course he does.” Hermione soothed.**

Hermione grimaced. “That sounded more patronising than I intended it to be.”

**“I want to know why he hasn’t made any comment yet about you undermining his father in the Top Box.” Harry frowned.**

Draco shrugged. “Didn’t see the point. I quite enjoyed it.”

**“With the Bulgarian Minister, do you mean?” Ron checked. “I was wondering that. Unless he doesn’t care.”**

**Hermione laughed. “I’m a Muggle-born, Ron; of course he’ll care. At least his father will.”**

“And we have a winner.” Draco muttered.

**“There’s something off about that.” Seamus agreed. “Any ideas?”**

**“A few.” Hermione admitted cautiously. “But I’d rather keep it to myself for now.” She glanced at Ron. “Just don’t let him get to you.”**

**“Him! Get to me! As if!” Ron picked up a Cauldron Cake and squashed it into a pulp.**

Remus rolled his eyes. “I see he was really taking your advice to heart.”  
“He always does.” Hermione agreed solemnly.

**By the time they reached the Great Hall, all the students were soaking, but Hermione, Ron and Harry had, unfortunately, been caught up in Peeves’s water-balloon attack. In addition, Hermione’s neck was aching, because, in an effort to stop Peeves, McGonagall had skidded on the wet floor and had grabbed Hermione to stop herself from falling.**

Hermione rubbed her neck again.

**The Sorting and the feast were uneventful, except for Nearly-Headless Nick revealing that house-elves worked in the kitchen.**

“So Hermione decided to stage a one-woman protest and refused to eat.” Harry finished.

Hermione sniffed. “That was _not_ what I was going to do.”

**Hermione’s original plan was to find out what house-elves really were and if the Hogwarts elves were treated well; a hunger strike was not originally on her list. But watching Ron eat was enough to put anyone off their food.**

Harry grimaced. “True. That’s why I usually sit next to him, rather than opposite.”

**When everyone had reached the ‘toying-with-desert’ stage, the puddings disappeared and Dumbledore stood up, beaming at them as he did every year and everyone stopped talking.**

**“So! Now we are all fed and watered …”**

Regulus rolled his eyes. “What are they, horses?”

**Hermione snorted. _What are we? Horses?_**

Regulus blinked in surprise as _Sirius_ burst out laughing. _Addie_ sniggered. “Must be the Black in you.” She said, repeating Regulus’s earlier comment.

**“… I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out some notices. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended …**

“When has it not?” James sighed.

**… to include Screaming Yo-Yos, Fanged Frisbees and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs.**

“Damn, they’re good as well.” Sirius frowned.

“I’m surprised they’re not _already_ on the list.” Alice commented.

**The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it.”**

“We should totally do that.” James grinned.

“Why?” Lily asked. “To freak Filch out or to work out what you need to smuggle in?”

James thought for a second. “Both.”

**Dumbledore’s eyes seemed to twinkle even more than usual. “As ever, I would like to remind you all that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to all students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year.**

Harry frowned. “I don’t remember that ever being mentioned before.”

Hermione shrugged. “Neither was the forbidden objects list, I don’t think.”

**It is also my painful duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year.”**

“WHAT?!”

Lily and Addie both winced. “Ow!”  
“Sirius!”

“Sorry Lils.” James muttered automatically, still staring in horror at the book.

“They … Quidditch … cancelled … Why?!” Sirius demanded.

Addie sighed, squeezing his hand. “I don’t know. It’ll be okay. I’m sure there’s a reason for it.”

**Hermione winced …**

“Really?” Mandy asked. “I didn’t think you liked Quidditch that much.”

“I don’t.” Hermione smirked. “It was everyone else I was worried about.”

**… and shut her empathy off – she’d been getting better at doing this on command – and prepared her eardrums for the expected outburst to erupt.**

“Ah.” Mandy nodded. “That makes sense.”

**But it didn’t. Everyone in the Great Hall appeared too shocked for words.**

“I don’t blame them.” James whispered, rubbing his chest as though a heart attack was imminent.

**“This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing through the school year, taking up much of the teachers’ time and energy.” Dumbledore explained; Hermione felt a stab of foreboding.**

“You and me both.” David sighed. “I can’t believe they were so stupid …”

**“I’m sure you will enjoy it immensely.**

“I’m not.” Harry muttered.

**I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts …”**

**At that moment …**

“No!” Sirius groaned. “What’s happening at Hogwarts?”

**… the Headmaster was cut off by a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall flew open.**

**Shadowed in the doorway, shrouded in a black travelling cloak, a man stood, leaning on a staff.**

Lily gasped. “Who …?”

**As a flash of lightning illuminated the Hall, the man lowered his hood, shook out long grizzled, dark-grey hair, then made his way up to the head table; a dull _clunk_ sounded on every alternate step. Another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling as the man limped towards Dumbledore, throwing his face into relief and Hermione gasped.**

“Oh Merlin …” Addie whispered.

“Relax.” Hermione said calmly. “It’s just our Defence teacher.”

Harry snorted under his breath.

**It looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had no idea how to use a chisel and had never seen a human face.**

Jen raised an eyebrow. “Interesting description.”

**Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash and a large chunk of his nose was missing.**

“What happened?” Jen asked.

David frowned. “I don’t know. He could well be an ex-auror … which would make him a good choice for DADA, but it sounds like I’d work with him and I don’t recognise that description. Do I know him?”

Hermione smirked slightly, remembering what James had said about Moody during the first book. “Yes, you know him.”

**But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening.**

**One of them was small, dark and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving carelessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye – and then it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head, so that all they could see was whiteness.**

Lily shuddered. “That must be creepy.”

“Oh, it is.” Hermione agreed fervently. “But you get used to it.”  
Harry gave her a funny look.

“Mad-Eye’s in the Order.” She explained. “I’ve seen him over the summer.”

“Mad-Eye?” James repeated. “Appropriate nickname. Know him, Dad?”

David shook his head. “No. Not by that name, anyway. He’s probably not lost his eye yet.”

**Hermione shuddered slightly as the man shook Dumbledore’s hand, exchanged a few quiet words with him, then took the seat next to him, spearing a sausage on a knife he pulled from his pocket. His blue eye darted around the Hall all the while.**

**“Allow me to introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.” Dumbledore announced into the silent Hall.**

David’s eyes widened. “I don’t believe it.”

“What?” James asked.

**“Professor Moody.”**

“Moody?” James repeated. “As in your boss?”

“Must be.” David looked at those from the future questioningly, and they nodded. “Well, his appearance makes sense then – he’s never been one to stand on the side-lines. But surely he’s retired by now?”

Hermione smiled slightly. “Technically, yes. He got incredibly paranoid.”

“CONSTANT VIGILENCE!” Fred and Ginny shouted together.

Everyone jumped, except David, who laughed. “He’s still on about that?”  
“He’s become more paranoid over the years.” _Sirius_ informed him with a smirk.

“Didn’t think that was possible.” David murmured, finding his place again.

**Dumbledore and Hagrid clapped, but everyone else – even the other teachers – seemed to be in too much shock to react. Moody seemed completely oblivious to this, as he pulled a hip-flask from his pocket and took a swig, revealing, as he did, several inches of wooden leg.**

Jen winced. “He’s really been through the wars, hasn’t he?”

“He’s a bit of an extreme example.” _Sirius_ conceded. “Most aurors aren’t nearly that bad.”

**“Moody?” Harry muttered. “Not _Mad-Eye_ Moody? The one your Dad went to help this morning?”**

**“Ah, the exploding dustbins.” Hermione remembered under her breath.**

David looked up. “What?”

“Dad got a floo call to say that Mad-Eye had heard intruders and his dustbins had been booby-trapped to explode.” Fred explained.

“Shouldn’t MLE have been called in?” Remus asked.

“With Moody’s paranoia, it was probably a cat.” Hermione explained. “It was best to just skip the middle man and send Mr Weasley straight in so he could smooth everything over, since Muggle law enforcement had been pulled in.”

**“Must be.” Ron nodded, sounding awed.**

**Hermione shook her head. “What happened to him? What happened to his face?”**

“Death Eaters.” Harry answered bluntly.

**“Dunno.” Ron whispered.**

**Dumbledore cleared his throat, but all eyes were still on the new teacher. “As I was saying, we are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event which has not been held for over a century.**

David scowled.

**It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year.”**

“What’s the Triwizard Tournament?” Lily asked curiously, as James and Sirius cheered.

“It’s a competition between the three main schools in Europe – Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.” Jen answered, looking excited. “A champion is selected from each school and competes in three tasks. Winner gets a thousand galleons.”  
“It was cancelled because the death toll got too high.” David said sharply, causing everyone’s excitement to dim.

“Harry, I forbid you to even _think_ about entering that tournament!” Lily told him in a high voice.

Harry smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, Mum. I vaguely wondered what it’d be like to win, but I’ve had enough trouble for a lifetime to _want_ to enter.”

**Two weeks later …**

Harry raised an eyebrow. “They missed the uproar over ‘of age only’.”

“What’s to miss?” Hermione shrugged. “Everyone in sixth year who turned seventeen after October argued and Dumbledore warned us that the ‘impartial judge’ couldn’t be hoodwinked.”

**… Hermione found herself walking down a corridor she had never been down before, thinking over everything. Maybe she was taking the house-elf thing too far. She still didn’t know everything about the wizarding world; maybe Ron was right.**

Fred gasped. “No! Say it isn’t so!”

**_“They’re used to it!”_ **

**She rolled her eyes. _That doesn’t make it right._**

“That’s true.” Lily agreed.

**Still, maybe the library would yield evidence that house-elf magic worked that way.**

“It will.” Regulus said. “Or at least it should.”

**Maybe she could just protest about how some people treated them … yes, that was a good idea.**

“You’re ambitious.” Narcissa commented. “I’ll give you that.”

**But she couldn’t still shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.**

“Still?” Jen asked.

Hermione nodded. “It wouldn’t leave me alone.”

**Maybe it was Hagrid’s new pets; Blast-Ended Skrewts.**

“I’m sorry, what?” Lily asked.

“Blast-Ended Skrewts.” David repeated. “I’ve never heard of them.”  
“That’s because they’re not entirely legal.” Hermione said with a slight groan. “Hagrid thought it would be a good idea to cross a manticore with a fire-crab.”

“What?” Jen asked faintly.

“Yeah, they burnt, stung, bit and travelled around by exploding their tails and propelling forwards.” Harry frowned. “I think it was their tail. They didn’t seem to have faces.”

“You forgot that the females sucked blood.” Hermione said with a straight face.

“It’d be alright if they turned out to cure cancer or something though, wouldn’t it?” Draco asked with a smirk.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “You know full well I just said that to shut you up.”

**Hermione wouldn’t have minded this nearly as much if it weren’t for the fact that she couldn’t find any mention of the damn things anywhere in the library.**

Draco developed a mysterious coughing fit. “Illegal cross-breeds.”

**Maybe it was the Tournament, she reasoned. Maybe she was still caught up in the ‘death toll’.**

**The rules had changed; Dumbledore wouldn’t allow students to get hurt on Hogwarts grounds anyway.**

Jen gave a derisive snort. “Yeah, there was just the jinxed broom, the three-headed dog, the troll, the chess set, the basilisk, Lockhart, Dementors and a mass-murderer hiding in the Gryffindor dorms.”

**But the prize …**

**It wasn’t the money that worried her; it was the cup. _“Touch of cup brings respite’s end.”_**

Lily shuddered. “Oh, I’d forgotten about that.”

**Of course, it could also have had something to do with Moody teaching them about the Unforgivable Curses …**

“What?!” David broke off and looked up. “You were in fourth year!”  
Harry nodded, staring at the floor. “He demonstrated them on spiders. Said we needed to know.”

Lily looked furious. “He cast the Killing Curse in front of you?!”

Harry nodded again. “And made a point of telling me that I was the only person to survive it. I just kept seeing you and Dad …”

Lily wrapped her arms around him, stifling her own sob.

Alice was staring at Neville in horror. “He showed you the … the Cruciatus …?”

Neville flinched, but nodded.

Closing her eyes, Alice mimicked Lily’s movements, holding the boy close despite their close ages. “Do I … Do I recognise you at all?”

“Sometimes …” Neville whispered, clinging to her. “Sometimes I think you might. You give me a gum-wrapper whenever I go to see you.”

“Droobles?” Alice guessed with a smile. “My favourite.”  She squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“’m alright.” Neville mumbled. “Professor Moody took me for a cup of tea in his office afterwards – we didn’t talk about it, but he told me that Professor Lupin had mentioned that I’m really interested in Herbology and that he had a book I might be interested in.”  
Alice beamed. “That was nice of him.”

Harry leaned over to Hermione. “Did we ever tell Neville about …?”

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “How am I supposed to know? I left early, remember?”

“He _demonstrated_ the Unforgivables in front of fourth years?!” David scowled. “He hates performing them in front of _aurors_.”

“Times change.” Harry shrugged. “People change.”

Hermione hid a smirk at another ambiguous statement. Harry was getting good at these.

David didn’t look happy, but accepted this answer and kept reading.

**_ Hermione … _ **

**Hermione started as her name echoed through the corridor. _Who said that? And where am I?_**

Everyone sat up straighter. “Is this when you …?” Harry trailed off.

“When you what?” Neville asked, slightly confused.

Hermione smiled apologetically at him. “I would’ve told you, but I knew the story would bring it up soon and I’d already explained it twice.”

Neville nodded understandingly. “That’s fine.”

**Tentatively, she kept walking, glancing around her. A door stood open at the end of the corridor and she peered around it. Four people, shimmering like ghosts, were standing in front of her.**

“Did you know?” Harry asked.

Hermione shook her head. “The shock came from knowing they _weren’t_ ghosts. Ghosts don’t have colour unless they’re poltergeists.”

**“Holy Merlin…” Hermione whispered, taking a few steps forward. A gust of wind blew the door shut behind her and she jumped.**

**“Hermione Jane, welcome.” One of the men greeted solemnly.**

**“Er, thank you, sir.” Hermione curtsied, having read a lot of period stories when she was younger. “May I ask who you are and why I’m here?” _Wherever ‘here’ is._**

“Surely it was a part of Hogwarts.” James pointed out.

Hermione shrugged. “Not on the Map.”

The Marauders gasped as though she had personally offended them.

Hermione rolled her eyes with a fond smile. “I think it only appears when they want it to.”

**The four smiled at her, instantly putting her at ease.**

**“You may.” The man agreed. “Please, take a seat.”**

**“Thank you.” Hermione seated herself in the chair that appeared behind and took a good look at the people in front of her, under the cover of adjusting her robes.**

“Sneaky.” Jen smirked.

**The man who had spoken had wild red hair and a beard; he reminded her a little of the lion Aslan in the Narnia stories …**

Hermione pointed at the book that was still on the table in the middle. “Those stories.”

**… in that there was an air of strength around him that made one respect him and yet he seemed kind and gentle. The other man was bald, but with a long beard that almost reached the floor.**

Regulus sucked in a breath, but said nothing.

**Of the two women, one was tall and willowy with long dark hair, the other was short and plump with tightly curled red hair. She’d seen them somewhere before, or maybe she hadn’t, but either way, they seemed familiar.**

“Had you?” Harry asked.

Hermione frowned. “That’s the odd thing – I’m sure I haven’t. I think it’s just the fact that they’re so … ingrained in the castle that you know them subconsciously.”

**“As to our identities,” the dark-haired woman began, “you know of us, but have never met us.”**

“And once she said that, I knew.” Hermione said quietly. “Like it just popped into my head.”

**And suddenly, Hermione did know who they were, as though she’d known all along.**

Hermione nodded emphatically, ignoring the fact that she’d just said much the same thing.

**“Lady Ravenclaw …” She whispered. “Lady Hufflepuff. Lord Gryffindor. Lord Slytherin. May I enquire as to why you are appearing to me, of all people?”**

**“You may.” Rowena smiled. “But you can drop the formality, my dear.**

“Thank Merlin.” Hermione laughed. “I didn’t think I could keep it up for much longer.”  
“You’ll have to when you reach the Wizengamot.” David pointed out.

Hermione stopped laughing. “Erm … pardon?”

 _Sirius_ nudged her. “You may well need to take the Black seat.”

“Oh.” Hermione repeated faintly.

**We wanted to warn you.”**

**“Warn me?” Hermione asked.**

**“You’re an empath.” Salazar told her. “More importantly, you’re the first pure-of-heart empath to pass through these doors.**

“Why’s that important?” James asked.

“Because I’m the first that the castle will allow to pick up on her responses.” Hermione answered automatically.

**You’ll be more sensitive to the magic of the castle, because we put some of ourselves into her. Unlike your empathy, you can’t shut this out. It will be painful, but we have no doubt that you can handle it. Hogwarts needs someone to listen to her.”**

Sirius let out a low whistle. “Bloody Hell. That’s a big ask, isn’t it?”

**“We sorted students, because there were certain qualities we knew how to nurture.” Helga continued. “Hogwarts is no longer united. Our history has become so warped, you can no longer distinguish truth from rumour.”**

**Hermione swallowed hard. “As much as I’d like to, I don’t think I can unite the houses on my own.”**

**“Of course not.” Godric agreed.**

“Oh good.” Arabella commented. “At least they realise that you have your limits.”

**“But you can make a start. You already have.”**

**Hermione frowned in thought. Then it hit her. “You mean the note?**

“They saw that?” Draco asked in surprise.

Hermione shrugged. “Probably sensed you had it when you walked in. She’s good at doing that.”

“Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?” Lily asked.

Hermione shook her head. “Neither; the castle.”

**But I don’t even know if he read that.”**

**“It’s still a start.” Salazar told her. “Now we’ll give you a tool to deal with the pain of listening to Hogwarts in a minute.**

“What was it?” Neville asked.

“You’ll see.” Hermione smirked, seeing everyone else’s confused expressions – she knew she’d told them this already.

Of course, a lot had happened since then.

**First of all … Rowena?”**

**Helga smiled faintly at Hermione. “Rowena’s a Seer. Thankfully, it was never passed down to her descendants.”**

**Rowena had stiffened; she closed her eyes and her voice became flat. “ _The true leader of the light is hidden … her mind is locked away, but her gift is not … answers shall be revealed in the place where the fire maid almost met her doom …_ ”**

“Okay …” Lily frowned. “What?”

“Well …” Jen looked thoughtful. “The last part must refer to the Chamber of Secrets. Fire maid – red hair – Ginny. Sorry,” she added as an aside to the girl in question.

Ginny smiled at her. “It’s fine.”

“As for the first part …” Jen shook her head. “The leader of the light is supposed to be Dumbledore, but … the prophecy seems to be disagreeing with that.”

“And a woman at that.” Regulus commented. “That’ll shake things up.” He held up his hands at the glares he received from the females in the room. “Because the magical world is a predominantly patriarchal society. Some people will have trouble accepting that.”

**Her eyes flew open and she started coughing harshly. “I hate it when that happens.”**

**Hermione pulled a piece of parchment from her bag and scribbled the prophecy down. “Won’t the Ministry now have a copy of this?”**

**“I’m dead, remember?” Rowena winked at her. “What they don’t know can’t hurt them.”**

**Hermione smiled. “I…er…I don’t suppose you know what this all means.”**

Arabella chuckled. “Don’t think you’ll get that lucky, dear.”

**Helga laughed. “Oh, I like this one. No, dear, you’ll have to figure it out yourself. As for how we’re here, we put so much magic into the school that we can’t really leave it. But we’re not ghosts, so we may only be seen by empaths and our heirs, if we choose to appear to them. You’re the first, actually, now I come to think about it.”**

“Impressive.” Regulus commented.

**“Now to dull the pain. Stand up, my dear.” Godric stated, waving his hand. “Think the words _Animagus Transformo._ ”**

**Hermione did as instructed and heard a small pop, similar to when Sirius turned into Padfoot.**

“Damn, that’s a lot easier than what we did.” Jen grimaced.

**Her vision appeared to have changed, her sense of smell was sharper and her posture was different; she was now crouched on all fours.**

**Helga conjured a full-length mirror and Hermione saw that she was now a dark-brown lioness with chocolate-brown eyes. She concentrated on her human form, hoping it would turn her back, and, with a soft pop, it did. “Thank you, sir.”**

**“And now that you’ve transformed once, you won’t need the incantation next time.” Salazar told her kindly.**

“Whoa, really?” Harry asked. “Is that possible?”

Hermione swatted his shoulder. “Be nice.”

**“Ordinarily, we would have advised you to study the transformation progress first, but with the other schools arriving and the wards being lowered, you really don’t have the time.”**

**Hermione couldn’t help herself. “Sir, I have to ask … don’t you hate Muggle-borns?”**

Everyone perked up. Aside from Neville, they had all been told his answer, but they were all interested to hear it first-hand.

**Rowena and Helga exchanged a mysterious smile …**

“What was that for?” Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged. “Probably because they knew I wasn’t Muggle-born.”

**… but Salazar shook his head. “I never hated Muggle-borns, Hermione. Given the circumstances at the time, I did suggest that maybe Muggle-borns should be taught in a different school for the first year to introduce them to the wizarding world without putting the rest of us at risk.”**

Lily nodded. “That makes sense.”

James frowned. “No it doesn’t.”

Lily sighed. “Maybe not now, James, but when Hogwarts was first founded, Muggles would kill people for having magic, even if they didn’t actually have it.”

**“We disagreed because there was already tension between purebloods and Muggle-borns.” Godric sighed. “We thought it would cause more of a problem. One young girl ran away after one term because she was bullied – not for being Muggle-born, but because she was a lot more intelligent than everyone else.”**

Lily flinched, knowing what that felt like. James pulled her closer, kissing the side of her head.

**Hermione felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. She knew how lonely that could be.**

**“Her family formed a mob and came after us.” Helga continued, resting a gentle hand on Salazar’s shoulder. “They couldn’t get through the wards, of course, but Salazar’s Muggle-born wife was returning from a trip and they killed her, and their unborn daughter.”**

“Poor woman.” Narcissa sympathised. **  
Hermione gasped in horror, any sympathy dissipating in an instant. “Sweet Merlin!”**

**“I know.” Rowena agreed heavily. “We were all shocked. Elizabeth was a wonderful young woman and it was an honour to have known her. That was when we developed the Memory Charm to …”**

“They developed the Memory Charm?” Jen asked. “I didn’t know that.”

“Neither did I.” David agreed.

**“You developed that?” Hermione asked. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”**

**Rowena smiled at her. “It’s fine, Hermione. Yes, that was us. We began using it on students who decided to leave. Immoral, maybe, but we had the other students to think of.**

David sighed with a grimace. “I guess it was for the best.”

**But after that, Salazar left the school to travel the world.”**

**“Wait, so there was no great argument?” Hermione asked, remembering the story Professor Binns had told them.**

**Salazar chuckled. “My dear girl, I have argued no more with my friends and colleagues than any other wizard. I assure you that any reports of any altercation have been grossly exaggerated.”**

“That was the memory you showed us in the first book.” James realised.

Hermione nodded.

**Hermione was now very confused. “But what about the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets?”**

**“I did build the chamber, that’s true.” Salazar confirmed. “I felt we should have a private library, but never got around to telling the others where to find it.”**

**“Or how to get into it.” Rowena muttered darkly. “It was my castle.”**

“Was it really?” Lily asked. “I always thought it was Gryffindor’s.”

“A lot of people do.” David smiled. “But Hogwarts was originally Ravenclaw Castle.”

**Salazar shrugged. “You offered. But I certainly did not put any basilisk in there. That was courtesy of my charming great-grandson.”**

**“Of course, that’s when the rumours started.” Hermione murmured.**

**At that moment, the air around her began to shimmer and she jumped.**

**“A warning. We’ve kept you long enough, my dear.” Rowena said softly. “Tell only those you trust of your encounter with us.”**

“Because that’s the sort of thing you normally go around shouting from the rooftops.” Sirius muttered.

“You would.” Addie pointed out sweetly.

**“Of course.” Hermione agreed shakily. _As if anyone else would believe me._**

**The room brightened for a moment, making her shield her eyes. When the light had vanished, so had the four founders.**

**Hermione picked up her bag and left the room, almost in a daze. Had that just been a figment of her imagination?**

“I don’t think you _could_ imagine that.” Jen commented. “Even if you tried.”

**As she recapped the conversation she’d just had, trying to find something that might tell her that it was all a practical joke, she walked straight into the twins, who caught her before she hit the ground.**

**“Careful, Mya.”**

**“Sorry.” Hermione murmured, glancing around and trying to place her location. “Caught in my thoughts.”**

**“House-elves again?” Fred asked with a sigh.**

“You could have told us.” Fred told her.

Hermione smiled sheepishly. “I know. But how was I supposed to tell _you_ what happened when I couldn’t explain it to myself?”

“Good point.” Fred conceded.

**“They’re all happy here, Mya. Ask them.”**

**“I would.” Hermione told him, glad of something to take her mind off the meeting. “But I can’t find any.”**

“Quick!” Sirius cried. “Educate her!”

Addie rolled her eyes. “Or just tell her where the kitchens are.”

**Fred and George exchanged a loaded glance, before the latter grabbed her arm and steered her down a corridor into the Entrance Hall, then down a flight of stairs into a stone corridor towards a painting of a fruit bowl. “Gred, if you would?”**

**“Certainly, Forge.” Fred reached out a hand and tickled the pear in the painting. The pear giggled and turned into a handle, which Fred seized and pulled, opening a door into a large kitchen. Five tables were placed exactly like the house tables; Hermione assumed the food was placed on them down here and sent up.**

Harry gasped. “You mean you didn’t already know?!”  
“As I may have mentioned before,” Hermione said with poise, “ _Hogwarts: A History_ never mentions the kitchens. Maybe I should write a revised version.”

**“House elves.” George called. “Could I have your attention please?”**

**The chatter and noise in the kitchen quietened.**

**“Thanks.” Fred grinned. “Hermione here doesn’t quite understand the wizarding tradition of house-elves at the moment. Are you all happy here?”**

“Bit of a trick question, that.” Regulus commented. “Most house-elves would say they were even if they weren’t.”

“But the ones at Hogwarts are very happy.” James added hastily.

**“Oh, yes, sirs, miss.” One of the house-elves spoke up. “We is very happy.”**

**House-elves throughout the room nodded vigorously.**

**“And you’re well-treated, aren’t you?” George added, sitting down.**

**More nods.**

**Hermione sighed in relief and caught sight of the twins’ faces.**

Fred looked a little insulted. “What about our faces?”

Hermione sniggered. “You both had that ‘ _now_ will you drop it?’ look.”

**“Alright, I’ll stop. I guess it’s just because the only two house-elves I’ve ever met weren’t treated very well by their families … but I suppose that’s just from my point of view.”**

“No, they weren’t.” James agreed. “But Lucius Malfoy can’t exactly be held up as the average house-elf owner.”

“Neither can Crouch.” _Sirius_ added.

**“Sometimes, miss,” the house-elf who had spoken before said hesitantly, “sometimes, miss, masters are cruel and some of us have family who is treated very badly miss, but clothes is a big dishonour, miss.”**

**Hermione sat down. “What if …” She hesitated. “What if someone could make it so that people had to treat their house-elves well?**

“It’ll take some powerful persuasion to get the Wizengamot to agree to it.” Jen warned.

“Careful.” Harry joked. “That sounds like a challenge. And it’s never a good idea to challenge Hermione.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Hermione asked.

“Just that when you come up against a challenge, you beat it tenfold.” Harry answered with a smile. “Challenge you to win house-elf rights and you’ll probably win rights for every other magical creature as well.”

**Would that be a good thing or a bad thing?”**

**“A good thing, miss.” The house-elf answered. “But not if we was given clothes.”**

**“What about a uniform?” Fred asked, sounding interested. “You may be on to something, Mya. I don’t think a lot of wizards even know how house-elves became … well, house-elves.**

David paused with a frown. “That’s a good point, actually. Anyone here know?”

“We do.” Fred sang, gesturing to Hermione.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “We’ll tell you when we break for lunch, if it’s not said in here.”

**Do you know, Kady?”**

**The house-elf nodded hard. “Oh, yes, sir. We is told of our history by our mothers and they by their mothers.”**

**“Could…Could you tell us?” Hermione asked. “That is, if you haven’t got work to do.”**

**Kady looked delighted. “Oh, no, miss. No witch or wizard has ever wanted to know our history before, miss!”**

“That’s because most witches and wizards think that house-elves are beneath them.” Hermione muttered.

**“We couldn’t have some of those éclairs while you’re telling us, could we?” George asked hopefully.**

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Boys.”

**Several house-elves appeared next to him with a tray and the three Gryffindors settled down to hear a story that very few wizards cared about.**

**After the trip to the kitchens …**

Lily sighed. “Bother.”

“I’ll tell you later.” Hermione repeated.

**… Fred and George escorted Hermione to the library, before disappearing off to do … Merlin knows what.**

“Don’t ask.” Arabella advised.

**Hermione did a bit more research and found out that there was nothing in wizarding laws about treating house-elves fairly. She tried to find out how to go about getting a law introduced, but there was nothing in the library about the Wizengamot or – when she tried to satisfy her curiosity about the heirs – the Hogwarts founders.**

David frowned. “Now that’s very odd. Although I doubt you’d find any mention of the heirs there normally, there were at least five books in my time.”

“There’s more now.” Lily added.

**After she had browsed the shelves for half an hour, Madam Pince came over to her. “Miss Granger, what are you looking for?”**

**Hermione sighed. “Anything about the Hogwarts founders or the Wizengamot.”**

**Madam Pince raised an eyebrow. “Professor Dumbledore had all books like that removed several years ago. Come to think about it, I think it was the summer before you came. Yes, it was, because Professor McGonagall and I were rather annoyed about it and we had a good chat about that and the fact that Harry Potter would be attending in September, because everything that even mentioned the Potter family was removed as well.”**

David’s frown deepened as he read.

**“Why were the books removed?” Hermione asked.**

**“I don’t know.” Madam Pince admitted. “Professor Dumbledore never told me. If it’s absolutely necessary, _Flourish and Blotts_ take owl orders.”**

James looked put-out. “She’s never that helpful with us!”

“That’s because you never give her any reason to be.” Lily pointed out sweetly.

**“Thank you, Madam Pince.” Hermione walked back to her table and was about to give up, when she was hit with a brainwave.**

“Uh oh!” Harry yelped. “She’s had an idea! Duck and cover!”

Hermione rolled her eyes and dragged him out from behind the sofa. “Get up.”

**By the time Hermione got back to the Common Room she had decided what she was going to do about house elves. Balancing the box of buttons she’d made in one hand …**

“Oh Merlin!” Harry groaned. “Here we go!” He caught Hermione’s eye and hastily added, “Thank goodness! Because someone needs to draw attention to this issue, but for the love of Merlin, Hermione, change the name!”

**… and a sheaf of parchment in the other, she picked her way across the Common Room to where Ron and Harry were finishing their Divination homework.**

“Translation: trying to work out how many ways they could possibly die.” Fred said dryly.

**Crookshanks jumped off of Harry’s lap and wound himself around her legs.**

**“Hello!” She greeted. “I’ve just finished.”**

**“So have I!” Ron announced triumphantly, throwing his quill down.**

**Hermione sat down, dumping her cargo onto the table and pulled Ron’s predictions towards her. It started with developing a cough and got steadily worse. “Not going to have a very good month, are you?” She commented, Crookshanks curling up in her lap.**

“That’s the point, Mya.” Fred smirked. “The more misery in there, the happier Trelawney will be.”

“She was ecstatic.” Harry grinned, before scowling. “But then she made us do the next month’s predictions as well.”

Fred grimaced. “Yeah, don’t make it _too_ bad. Otherwise she thinks you’ve actually got the gift and gives you extra work.”

**Ron yawned. “Well, at least I’m forewarned.”**

**Hermione tutted. “You seem to be drowning twice.”**

Harry raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hermione, who shrugged. It was a coincidence, that was all.

**“Oh, am I?” Ron asked, seeming surprised. “I’d better change one of them to getting trampled by a rampaging hippogriff.”**

The Marauders sniggered.

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “Don’t you think it’s a bit obvious that you made these up?”**

**“How dare you?!” Ron gasped. “We’ve been working like house elves here!**

“Bad choice of words.” Regulus commented.

**It’s just an expression!” He added hastily.**

**Harry sighed. “Hang on…decapitation!”**

Lily winced. “Harry, dear, please try to refrain from predicting your own death.”

**He decided, scribbling it down. Dropping his quill and stretching, he pointed at the box Hermione had dropped on the table. “What’s that, Hermione?”**

**“I’m glad you asked.” Hermione shot a nasty look at Ron and opened the box.**

**Harry picked up one of the badges. “Spew?**

Sirius chuckled. “Yeah, I think Harry has a point with the name.”

“It’s not spew!” Hermione protested, but David read over her.

**What’s this about?”**

**“Not spew.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “S.P.E.W. Stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare.”**

“Might want to take ‘elf’ out.” Regulus advised. “You’ll get more backers.”

“But ‘Society for the Promotion of Welfare’ doesn’t make sense.” Hermione pointed out.

**“Never heard of it.” Ron told her.**

**“Of course you haven’t.” Hermione agreed. “I’ve only just started it.”**

“Anyone want to join?” Hermione asked sweetly.

Fred and Harry both waved their arms behind her, mouthing the word ‘no’ and miming slow painful deaths.

She rolled her eyes. “Just because you’re behind me doesn’t mean I can’t see you.”

**“Oh, yeah?” Ron sounded interested. That, or surprised.**

“Probably surprised.” Ginny said.

**Hermione tested the air and sighed. Surprised.**

Ginny nodded. “Thought so.”

**“How many members have you got?”**

**This was the hard part. “Well, if you two join, three.”**

**Ron raised an eyebrow. “You think we want to walk around with badges saying ‘spew’, do you?”**

**“S.P.E.W!” Hermione repeated. “I was going to call it Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures …**

“SOAOFMC.” Fred frowned. “That’s actually catchier.”  
“Wouldn’t fit on the badges.” Hermione smiled.

**… but it wouldn’t fit, so that’s the heading of our manifesto. I’ve been researching and I talked to the house-elves in the kitchens …”**

**“Hermione, open your ears!” Ron groaned.**

“Would he let me finish?” Hermione grumbled.

**“They … like … being … enslaved!”**

**“Yes, they do.” Hermione agreed. “We’re not campaigning to free them. We’re campaigning to change the laws so that they’re treated properly.”**

**“And how are we going to do this?” Harry asked.**

**Now _that_ was interested.**

Lily beamed at him. “Well done, Harry.”

**“We start by recruiting members. I thought two sickles to join – that buys a badge – and the proceeds can fund our leaflet campaign.”**

“Not a bad idea.” David commented. “But you’ll need a lot of people behind you before the Ministry listens.”

**Harry fished in his pocket and pulled out two sickles. “I’m in.”**

**Hermione beamed at him. “Thanks, Harry.”**

**“No problem.” Harry told her, fixing the badge to his robes. “I hated the way Dobby was treated.**

“You and me both.” James frowned.

**Freeing them isn’t the way to go though.”**

**“Of course not.” Hermione agreed. “If we can get a mistreatment clause pushed into the contract it’ll be a start. Ron?”**

**Ron sighed. “Fine. But you’ll have to wait because my money’s in my dorm and I can’t be bothered to move.”**

Fred rolled his eyes. “Go with it, Mya; it’s the best you’re going to get.”

**“Deal.” Hermione closed the box and leaned forwards. “Harry, can I borrow the Map?”**

“Why?” Arabella asked.

“Wanted to find the room I’d been in earlier.” Hermione answered.

**“Why?” Harry asked, sounding confused.**

**Hermione didn’t blame him. She didn’t have a problem with him using the Map (especially since it had been made by his father), but had never used it herself. “I found a room earlier and I don’t think it’s on there.”**

**Harry frowned. “I thought everything was on there …**

“So did we.” James scowled.

“This Room isn’t on it.” Harry pointed out.

James waved it off. “That’s different. I’m fairly sure this Room’s Unplottable.

“And the Chamber of Secrets isn’t on there.” Hermione smirked.

James sighed. “Fine. Sorry none of us wanted to go looking for Slytherin’s monster.”

**… but here.”**

**“Thanks.” Hermione waved her wand over the piece of parchment, whispering the password. The Map formed and she quickly found the kitchens.**

“The kitchens?” Jen questioned.

Hermione shrugged. “I figured it was easier to work backwards.”

**_Let’s see. Fred and George led me down one corridor to the Entrance Hall, so I met them … there. And I came down that flight of stairs … from that corridor … turned right … crossed that empty classroom … along that corridor … up another flight of stairs and …_ **

**Hermione frowned. Her finger, tracing her route backwards through the school had come up against a wall.**

Remus raised an eyebrow. “You were right. It’s not on the Map.”

**“I was right.” She murmured, drawing her wand and tapping it against the markings on the Map. “Unless there’s something hidden there …” Remembering Harry’s story about Snape’s battle with the Map, she decided to try something. “I, Hermione Granger, would like to know if there is any room hidden behind that wall.”**

The Marauders straightened up at this.

“You expecting something to happen?” Regulus asked.

Sirius nodded, staring at the book. “Hopefully. We’re not sure what, though. It’s programmed to respond with insults to certain people …”

“Like Snape.” Addie put in dryly.

“… and it recognises pranksters – we’d have given Fred and George hints …” Sirius glanced at Fred, who nodded. “But we’ve never tested this before, except with us.”

**As though responding to her question, the Map vanished and writing began to appear on the page. _Mr Padfoot would like to inform Miss Granger that the Marauders know of no hidden room in that part of the castle._**

James sighed, sitting back. “I was expecting something more … something.”

David smiled. “I’m not done yet.”

**_Mr Prongs would like to add that if Miss Granger has found a hidden room in that part of the castle, then he takes his hat off to her. Or would if he was wearing one._ **

Lily giggled.

**Hermione giggled. “No, it’s not on here.”**

**Harry read the words over her shoulder and tapped the parchment with his own wand. “My name is Harry Potter.”**

“I wonder how you’ll respond to that.” Mandy whispered. “Would you recognise the name?”

**Immediately the words changed:**

**_Mr Prongs would like to enquire whether Mr Potter is his son._ **

“Apparently.” James grinned.

**_Mr Moony would like to point out that, having no time-frame, Mr Potter could be Mr Prongs’ grandson._ **

“Moony!” James whined. “Stop it.”

**_Mr Prongs would like to ask Mr Moony to stop making him feel old._ **

“Exactly!” James nodded emphatically.

“James, you do realise you’re agreeing with yourself, don’t you?” Lily asked sweetly.

**_Mr Padfoot suggests that it sounds like Miss Jade may have finally said yes and asks if Miss Shadow may have followed suit._ **

“Eventually.” _Sirius_ answered himself with a smile.

 _Addie_ was focussing on something else. “That’ll confuse you.”

**_Mr Moony suggests that Mr Padfoot might want to get over it and welcomes Mr Potter to the Marauders._ **

**Hermione narrowed her eyes. “Who’s Miss Shadow, do you think? I didn’t think there were any female Marauders.”**

“And there are five of us.” Mandy shook her head in mock-sorrow. “See what you’ve done, Remus? You’ve confused the poor kids.”

“Sirius explained as well.” Remus protested.

“No, I was too busy glaring.” _Sirius_ disagreed with a smirk.

**“Not asking about Miss Jade then?” Harry asked.**

**Hermione laughed. “Harry, I’d say that’s obvious. Miss Jade was your mother.”**

“How …?” Lily began, but David read over her, predicting her question.

**“How’d you know?” Harry pressed. “For all we know, Dad had another girlfriend when they wrote the Map.”**

“No.” James answered, seeing Harry look at him. “As much as _some_ people like to think _differently_ …”

Lily, Jen and Addie promptly came down with coughing fits, all of which sounded suspiciously like various girls’ names.

“… I have only ever had eyes for your mother.”

“Sirius only ever had eyes for me, but he dated other girls.” _Addie_ pointed out.

“I wouldn’t call that dating.” _Sirius_ disagreed.

 _Addie_ rolled her eyes. “Sweetheart, take my advice – you are _never_ going to win this. Don’t even bother trying.”

 _Sirius_ looked at Harry, “Take _my_ advice – always do what women tell you.”  
“Sirius, I already knew that.” Harry said with a smile. “I know Hermione.”

**He pulled a face. “Not that I want to think about that.”**

**“Green eyes.”**

Lily nodded with a smile. “The girls wanted to call me Emerald, but I thought it sounded more like a cat’s name.”

**Hermione pointed at his face. “I’m sure it was her.” She frowned. “Although … I can’t help but feel I knew that anyway.**

“We used it in front of you when you were a baby.” _Sirius_ told her. “Although you never took to it. She was always Lily to you … Actually, I think you may have even called her Aunt Lily.”

“I did.” Hermione confirmed.

“Was I Uncle James then?” James asked.

 _Sirius_ shook his head with a grin. “No, you were Prongs. Except she couldn’t pronounce her ‘r’s yet, so you were just Pongs.”

**Professor Lupin – sorry, Remus and Sirius never said anything, did they?”**

“No.” Remus answered.

**Harry frowned. “I’m sure they didn’t. Although now you mention it, I can’t help feeling like I’ve heard that nickname before.”**

“That’ll be subconscious as well.” _Sirius_ told him.

**“Well, I haven’t.” Ron stated, finally joining the conversation. “I _know_ they never mentioned it in the Shack. How’d you find this room, Mione?”**

**Hermione sighed. “Well, you’re never going to believe me.”**

“You won’t know unless you try.” Mandy commented.

**“Try us.” Ginny suggested, taking a seat next to her. “Wait, what are we not going to believe?”  
Hermione sighed again, and launched into the story of what happened in the small room with the founders. When she’d finished, the other three sat in thoughtful silence, while she waited with bated breath to see if they would believe her.**

**Finally, Harry let out a deep breath and waved his wand over the Map. “Mischief managed.” He looked up to meet her eyes. “Are you sure you just haven’t been working too hard?”**

“I’ve never worked so hard as to hallucinate something like that.” Hermione said, shaking her head.

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “Harry, how can I imagine that I’ve met the founders when I didn’t even know what they look like.”**

**“But you could have imagined that.” Ron pointed out.**

Fred raised an eyebrow. “Did Ron just make a logical argument?”

“He did.” Hermione nodded. “I was just as surprised.”

**“Wow, that was actually logical.” Ginny teased him, before turning to Hermione. “Hermione, I don’t want to think you’re crazy, but it is a little unbelievable.”**

“A little?” James asked incredulously. **  
“A little?” Harry muttered.**

“He’s got a point.” Neville agreed, over the snickers. “If I hadn’t just read it, I wouldn’t believe it.”

**Ginny elbowed him. “Can you prove it? What about the Animagus thing?”**

**Hermione stood up and paced around the common room, making sure they were the only people still awake.**

“Smart move.” David approved.

**Satisfied, she returned to the fireside and gestured for them to stand up. “I don’t want to be seen by anyone coming down the stairs.”**

David nodded approvingly.

**The three stood as one and formed a wall between her and the staircases. Hermione closed her eyes and focused on the lioness she’d seen in the mirror. With a soft ‘pop’ she felt herself transform. She held the form for a few seconds, then transformed back, opening her eyes to see three stunned expressions. “Well?”  
“I believe you.” Ginny said faintly, falling back into her chair.**

“Be stupid not to.” Ginny smiled.

**“Me too.” Ron and Harry seconded in unison.**

**Hermione smiled gratefully. “Thanks, guys.” She pulled the prophecy out. “What do you think then?”**

**“Gin?” Ron looked over at her. “You did pretty well on the last one.”**

**Ginny read it through. “Chamber of Secrets.”**

“Great minds think alike.” Jen grinned.

**“Pardon?” Harry asked.**

**Ginny sighed, slightly pale. “I almost died down there and I’m a redhead. ‘Fire maid almost met her doom’.”**

**“She’s right.” Hermione realised. “Now?”**

Hermione winced. “Sorry, Ginny. I wasn’t thinking.”  
“It’s fine.” Ginny assured her.

**“No!” Ginny answered quickly, shaking.**

**Harry put a comforting arm around her shoulder. “We’re not going down there yet.”**

**“Of course not.” Ginny agreed, recovering quickly and with only a hint of pink in her face. “We have to wait for the leader of the light.”**

**“Who is she?” Ron asked with a frown.**

**“Well, it’s someone who’s hidden.” Ginny scowled at the parchment. “But has a gift that won’t be …”**

David paused. “Jess.”

“What?” James asked blankly.

“We think she’s under a memory charm.” David elaborated. “Her real identity is hidden, but her magic is escaping through her dreams.”

“But who is she really then?” Jen asked with a frown. “And how are they going to find her? You’d have to be a pretty powerful mind healer to break through a Memory Charm like that and not kill her – or worse.”

“Harry?” Hermione prompted. “What is it?”

Harry was staring at Jen with an expression of wide-eyed realisation. “That’s who you remind me of.” He said blankly. “You remind me of Jess.”

Jen smiled at him. “Do I?”

Harry shook his head. “No, I mean you _really_ remind me of her.”

Hermione frowned slightly. “Harry, are you suggesting that Jessica is actually Jennifer?”

The atmosphere in the room seemed to tighten and everyone looked at Harry.

“Harry …” _Sirius_ sighed. “As much as I wish that was the case, the chances …”

“We know she’s a witch.” Harry interrupted. “And she must have been at school with you, because she sketched a picture of all of you down by the lake when I was nine …”

“Jen is pretty good at that.” Lily said slowly.

“But anyone could have seen us.” Jen pointed out reluctantly.

“All of you, but you.” Harry finished. “You’re not in the picture.”

“Maybe I wasn’t there that day.” Jen suggested.

 _Addie_ shook her head. “No, there’s never been a time when we were all at the lake but you. Unless it happened after I left?”

“No, you are in the picture.” Harry told her. “Plus, she always has nightmares on the night of the full moon – she never tells me about them, but she’s always really tired the next day; I can tell. Didn’t you say she and Remus …?”

“They share a soul-bond.” _Sirius_ finished in a whisper. “How long has she lived on Privet Drive?”

Harry grinned triumphantly. “Well, Aunt Petunia says she’s lived there for years. But she doesn’t remember a day before August 2nd 1982.”

“That’s the day after I disappeared.” Jen stated unnecessarily. “Hang on a second, I’m not a Seer, though.”

“But we do have Seer blood in the family.” _Sirius_ said. “And you were very powerful, which would explain the dreams – some magic would have to escape or you’d end up seriously hurt.”

Remus squeezed her hand. “Why aren’t you looking happier about this?”

Jen sighed. “Because I don’t want to get my hopes up. And even if it is me … how am I supposed to get my memory back?”

“Soul bond.” _Sirius_ answered. “As long as Moony meets you at some point … And I think he’s going with the group to pick Harry up as soon as Dumbledore …” he rolled his eyes “… informs us that my godson can spend the rest of the summer with me.”  
“Hang on, you’re his legal guardian!” Lily argued. “Dumbledore shouldn’t have anything to do with it!”

“Shouldn’t.” _Sirius_ agreed. “But he does. Anyway, as long as Harry introduces them …”

“… which I probably will.” Harry said. “Because she’ll notice me leaving.”

Draco cleared his throat. “Since we can’t actually figure out whether we’re right or not, maybe we should keep reading – we’ll find out eventually, right?”

“He’s right.” Jen stated, effectively ending the discussion, and David found his place again.

**“Let’s sleep on it.” Harry suggested.**

**“Yeah, because it’ll be so much clearer tomorrow.” Ron rolled his eyes.**

“What?” Sirius asked when Lily giggled. “Kid’s got a point.”

“It’s a Muggle term.” Lily told him. “It means to put something aside until you’ve had time to think about it.”

**Hermione sighed. “Muggle term, Ron.” Before she could explain, Hedwig …**

Addie breathed a sigh of relief. “Sirius’s answer.”

**… dropped a letter off, landing on the table.**

**Harry read it aloud. “Harry, I’m flying north immediately.**

“What?!” Regulus demanded. “Are you mental?!”  
“Yes.” _Addie_ answered. “He is. Be more specific.”

“Why the hell would you come back?” James asked.

 _Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “You mean, _aside_ from the fact that Harry needed me? That’s about it.”

**This news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumours that have reached me.**

“Rumours like what?” David asked.

“The Dark Mark, the Death Eaters getting restless, Bertha’s disappearance.” _Sirius_ listed. “Not a good combination.”

**If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore – they’re saying he’s got Mad-Eye Moody out of retirement, which means he’s reading the signs, even if no one else is.”**

“You thought Voldemort was getting stronger?” Jen guessed.

 _Sirius_ nodded grimly. “Unfortunately, most of the Ministry were either missing the connection, or refusing to see it.”

**“What signs?” Ron asked in bewilderment.**

**Harry shrugged. His eyes strayed to Hermione’s and she knew that he was as worried as she was.**

**“I’ll be in touch soon. Give my best to Ron and Hermione. Keep your eyes open, Harry. Love, Sirius.”**

**Hermione suddenly remembered Narcissa’s note and smacked herself for forgetting it so easily. “Harry, if you’re not comfortable with including Mrs. Malfoy’s note, I’ll put it in my next letter.”**

“That’s probably a good idea.” Narcissa conceded.

**“Right.” Harry cocked his head and observed her. “You never did tell me why you were writing to him.”**

“Well, now there’s an obvious reason.” Harry pointed out at the questioning looks. “We didn’t know about this back then.”

**“He stopped off in the summer.” Hermione told him. “I went and got his wand from Gringotts; it was in his vault.”**

“The common room was empty, wasn’t it?” Mandy asked.

Harry smiled. “Yeah, of course. We wouldn’t have started the conversation if it wasn’t.”

“Not to mention I would never have transformed.” Hermione added.

Mandy chuckled. “Right. Forgot about that.”

**”Bit risky, isn’t it?” Ron frowned. “I mean, they’d never prove the whole …” he lowered his voice “… time-turner thing. But,” he said normally, “that?”**

**Hermione shrugged. “May as well be hanged for a dragon as for an egg.”**

**“Hey, you’re picking up on wizarding slang!”**

“It’s a proud moment, isn’t it?” Addie said, wiping a fake tear from her eye. “I remember when Lils first slipped into it. I was … so proud of her …” She dissolved into ‘tears’ on Sirius’s shoulder.

Lily shook her head in disbelief. “Good Merlin … you’re perfect for him.”

“We already knew that.” Jen reminded her with a smirk.

**Ginny hugged her. “You’re in!”**

**“Maybe it’s just me,” Harry sighed, “but what does that mean?”**

**“Muggles have a similar saying.” Hermione told him. “If you’re going to get punished for doing something, you may as well do the thing properly. There were two wands in the vault, though. He told me to keep hold of the other one; you never know when you’ll need a spare wand.”**

**Ron raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like something Moody would say.”**

_Sirius_ laughed. “Where does he think I learnt it?”

**“Of course it does.” Ginny rolled her eyes. “Sirius was an auror too, wasn’t he?**

“At least one of you pays attention.” _Sirius_ muttered.

**Where do you keep it?”**

**“Well, I don’t have a wand holster.” Hermione admitted. “I thought I’d get one next summer at Diagon Alley…”**

**“Or at Hogsmeade.” Ron suggested. “There’s got to be somewhere.”**

**“I hadn’t thought of that.” Hermione replied. “Anyway, I improvised.” She pulled her robes up slightly, pulled her sock down and removed her wand from the band holding it in place.**

“Not bad.” David commented.

**“Here.”**

**“What’s it made of?” Harry asked.**

**“I’m not sure.” Hermione examined it. “If I had to guess, I’d say willow and dragon heartstring.**

“Good guess.” Jen smiled. “Bet you couldn’t tell me what kind of dragon though.”  
Hermione laughed. “Not likely. Do you know?”

Jen nodded. “Hungarian Horntail.”

Harry shuddered. “My least favourite.”

“You have a favourite?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No.” Harry admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t have a least favourite.”

**But I’m not a wand-maker, so I wouldn’t like to say. Merlin knows who it belonged to.”**

**“Well, I didn’t know that Malfoy’s mother was a Black.” Harry confessed. “So you know more than I do.”**

**“Well, that’s the thing.” Hermione frowned. “There’s not much about the Black family in the library.**

“Doesn’t surprise me.” Regulus shrugged. “Our ancestors have always been rather paranoid. Oh, they’d advertise all the parts that made them look good,” he added, seeing Hermione’s questioning look, “but they’d be too worried about the – er – white sheep being exposed.”  
“There are more of us than they like to admit.” Jen agreed dryly.

**I know that it’s an incredibly old pureblood family, like the Potters,” she nodded to Harry, “but they were on the darker side.”**

**“What; the Potters?” Ron frowned.**

**“No, the Blacks.” Hermione sighed. “But I know that Mrs. Malfoy has two sisters.”**

Narcissa flinched imperceptibly.

**“Maybe it belongs to one of them.” Ginny suggested.**

“Plausible guess.” Regulus said.

**“I don’t think so.” Hermione disagreed. “I got grief, so I think whoever it belonged to is dead and they’re both alive. Plus, one of them, I believe, is a healer, so has her wand …**

“Andromeda.” Narcissa whispered.

**… and the other one is in Azkaban and will have had her wand snapped.”**

“Bellatrix.” Jen spat.

Neville started. “You … You know her?”  
 _Sirius_ smiled sympathetically. “Unfortunately, she’s our cousin, but we haven’t considered her family since we were sorted.”  
“It was before then.” Jen stated darkly.

“She’s my sister.” Narcissa added, shaking her head. “I knew she absorbed what our parents told her, but I never imagined …”

“It’s not your fault.” Alice told her quietly, squeezing Neville’s hand. “Any of you.”

**“But you need a special wand to become a healer.” Ginny told them. “So she might have put her first wand in the family vault and she believes that Sirius is a mass-murderer and that’s why he’s sad.”**

“Also well reasoned.” Regulus approved.

**“Maybe.” Hermione agreed tentatively. “I’ll ask. But I doubt he’d be able to give that wand away.”**

“Well, I could,” _Sirius_ said, “but I wouldn’t.”

**At that moment, something Harry had read hit her full-force. “Wait. He’s flying north? He’s coming back?!”**

“Took you a while, didn’t it?” Fred teased.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Gimme a break; I’d had a long day.”

**“And what signs?” Ron repeated. “Harry, what’s up?”**

**Harry had suddenly hit his forehead. “I shouldn’t have told him.”**

**  
**

Ginny sighed. “And here we go.”

Sirius frowned. “What’s he on about?”

**“What are you on about?” Ron asked in surprise.**

“Ron agrees with you.” Addie chuckled.

**“I’ve made him think he’s got to come back.” Harry said …**

“Harry, don’t flatter yourself.” _Sirius_ said with a teasing smile, before looking serious. “I was on my way back anyway.”

**… slamming his fist on the table, causing Hedwig to flutter to the back of Hermione’s chair, hooting indignantly.**

“Harry!” Lily chided gently.

**“He’s coming back because he thinks I’m in trouble and there’s nothing wrong with me!**

“At some point, we need to have a chat about the role of adults in your life.” _Sirius_ told him.

Harry sighed. “Sirius, I can …”

“Take care of yourself, I know.” _Sirius_ finished patiently. “But that’s not the point, Harry. The point is, at fifteen, you shouldn’t have to. It’s my job to protect you, not the other way round, understand?”

Harry nodded with a small smile. “Yeah.”

**And I haven’t got anything for you!” He snapped at Hedwig. “You’ll have to go to the Owlery if you want any food!”**

“Harry!” Lily repeated.

Harry looked sheepish. “Sorry.”

**Hermione gave him a reproachful look and gave Hedwig an Owl Treat.**

Lily smiled approvingly.

**Hedwig nibbled her finger affectionately and took off for the open window, cuffing Harry with her wing as she did.**

Neville chuckled. “Talk about an owl with attitude.”

**Turning back to Harry, Hermione laid a soothing hand on his arm. “Harry …”**

**“I’m going to bed.” Harry interrupted, pulling away abruptly and stalking up the stairs.**

Harry grimaced. “Sorry.”

Hermione smiled at him. “Forget about it.”

**Ron shrugged apologetically, bid her goodnight and left as well.**

**Ginny shook her head in exasperation. “Boys! Night, Hermione.”**

**“Night.” Hermione stared at the fire for a few minutes, hearing Ginny make her way up the girls’ staircase, then grabbed a quill and began to write her own letter.**

“Smart move.” _Addie_ smiled.

**_Padfoot,_ **

**_Harry reacted quite badly to the news that you’re coming back. Hopefully, you’ll get this letter before his; he’ll probably write to you immediately tomorrow morning._ **

Harry gave her a mock-frown. “Thanks, Hermione.”  
“I wouldn’t have paid attention to it anyway.” _Sirius_ told him with a smile.

**_Don’t take it personally; he’s just worried about you. I’m worried about you._ **

“Me too.” _Addie_ whispered.

 _Sirius_ rubbed her shoulder gently. “I was fine.”

**_Did you know that the Triwizard Tournament is being held again this year?_ **

“I didn’t until then.” _Sirius_ admitted.

**_I think Harry’s relieved that under 17-year-olds can’t enter; he isn’t under any pressure._ **

**_About the second wand, was it one of your cousins?_ **

Jen winced. “I bet that was fun.”

**_I know one – Andromeda, is it – is a Healer, so she’d need a specialty wand._ **

**_I doubt it’s hers, but I promised Ginny I’d ask. Ginny’s Ron’s younger sister – yes, she knows. No, she won’t tell anyone._ **

**_Speaking of cousins, I saw Narcissa Malfoy at the World Cup and I think she may have given me a note. It says ‘Tell SB I’m sorry. He was right. NBM.’ Makes no sense to me, but hopefully you’ll understand it._ **

“I did.” _Sirius_ confirmed with a smile. “It was a relief.”

“Why?” Narcissa asked curiously.

“Because I’d lost Jen, and Andie thought I was guilty.” _Sirius_ answered. “It was good to know that you, at least, were on my side and that Lucy hadn’t completely ruined you.”  
Draco sniggered. “ _Please_ call my father that to his face.”  
“I have.” _Sirius_ said cheerfully. “He tried to kill me. Mind you, he was wearing a mask and I was trying to arrest him at the time, so that may have had something to do with it.”

**_Harry and I were looking at the Map today and you, Prongs and Moony had a little discussion when Harry said his name. Was Jade Mrs Potter’s Marauder name? Because I’m fairly sure it is, even though I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned it._ **

“That was fun too.” _Sirius_ remarked.

**Here, Hermione paused, wondering whether to ask about ‘Miss Shadow’. She decided not to …**

“Thanks.” _Sirius_ said. “I think you might have given me a heart attack.”

**… it didn’t seem to fit Arabella or Mandy, which meant that the owner of that nickname was most likely dead.**

“Close.” _Addie_ curled up into _Sirius_ ’s side.

**And given that she’d just thrown the Potters in there without warning, it was probably best to leave _that_ can of worms unopened for the moment.**

“Smart move.” _Sirius_ muttered, dropping a kiss on _Addie_ ’s head.

**_On a more important note, Sirius, be careful. I won’t try to convince you not to come back – I think Harry needs the support, personally – but please, please be careful. I don’t know how or even if Harry would cope if you were recaptured and I’m fresh out of last-minute, law-breaking escape plans._ **

There were a few half-hearted chuckles.

**_With love,_ **

**_Hermione_ **

**_PS. I mean it, Padfoot. Take care of yourself._ **

David looked up. “Well, that was a cheerful end to the chapter.”

Addie shivered, moving closer to Sirius. “Please be careful.”

“Ads, this hasn’t happened yet.” He reminded her gently.

“I was fine.” _Sirius_ repeated. “Still here, aren’t I? Who’s reading next?”


	17. Chapter Fifteen - Spiritual Connections

“I will.” Draco offered, taking the book.

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Spiritual Connections**

James grinned. “Looks like we’re about to make our debut.”

**Weeks passed, and Sirius still hadn’t replied.**

“Hey!” Fred said with a smirk. “You know what the book _didn’t_ mention?”

Draco groaned. “Don’t …”

“Be honest, Draco.” Hermione said. “It was funny.”

“It wasn’t _you_.” He hissed.

“What happened?” Narcissa asked.

“Draco and Harry were having a … discussion.” Hermione explained carefully. “When Draco thought it would be a good idea to hex Harry when his back was turned.”

“He insulted my mother!” Draco hissed.

“Harry!” Lily cried.

Harry grimaced and turned to Narcissa. “I’m sorry. It was more to make a point, really, since he’d spent the last five minutes insulting Ron’s mother.”

“That’s quite alright, Harry.” Narcissa gave her son a stern look. “Do not give out what you cannot take. What happened?”

“Before I could grab my wand, there was a loud bang and …” Harry bit back a snigger. “Draco turned into a ferret.”

“Moody had been passing.” Hermione continued.  “And when Draco made a run for it he started bouncing him around the Entrance Hall.”

“It wasn’t funny.” Draco scowled as the Marauders started laughing.

“No.” Hermione agreed. “McGonagall’s reaction was though.”

Ginny leapt to her feet and grabbed the books that had appeared on the table, before pretending to watching something bouncing. “Professor Moody, what are you doing?”

“Teaching.” Fred answered casually.

“Oh … MOODY, IS THAT A STUDENT?!” Ginny shrieked, the books falling from her arms.

“Yep.” Fred nodded.

“NO!”

James and Sirius were gasping for air now and Draco finally allowed himself a smile. “I missed that part.”

Narcissa looked furious. “That man …”

“Save it until the end.” _Sirius_ advised her. “Then you can do it all at once. Go on, Draco.”

**Everyone seemed oblivious to Harry and Hermione’s joint worries, as they scanned the post owls every morning, and only Hermione paid attention to the dark circles under Harry’s eyes, identical to her own.**

_Sirius_ frowned. “Sorry, kids; I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Hermione smiled at him. “I wasn’t just you – I was worrying about everything that might happen and my empathy and my parents. And Harry … well, Harry was being Harry, which means he held himself responsible for everything that could go wrong and everything that already had.”

**Only lessons were keeping her mind of whatever horrible things that could happen, and they were become more demanding than ever, particularly Defence Against the Dark Arts.**

**Hermione had accepted the fact that Moody had his reasons for teaching them about the Unforgivables this early (although she was sure that none of her classmates had quite grasped how serious they were …**

“They wouldn’t.” David said sharply.

**… aside from Harry and, for some reason, Neville, who didn’t look like he’d slept since).**

“I hadn’t.” Neville whispered, leaning into Alice.

**But when he announced that he would be putting the Imperius curse on each of them …**

“WHAT?!” Alice, Lily and Narcissa demanded.

“It’s the only curse that can be fought.” _Sirius_ explained calmly. “And the only way to learn how to fight it is to have the curse put on you.”

“And you’re alright with this?” _Addie_ demanded.

“Fourteen is too young.” _Sirius_ conceded. “But I’d rather them learn in a safe environment than later on, yes.”

 _Addie_ sighed. “I hate it when you make sense.”

**… in turn, she was startled.**

**“But … but you said it’s illegal, Professor.” Hermione protested uncertainly, as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the room. “You said … to use it against another human was …”**

David grimaced. “Actually, it’s the only one of the Unforgivables with some leeway.”

“Why’s that, Dad?” James asked.

“Because it can be fought.” David answered, nodding to _Sirius_. “It can be used to teach resistance and it’s the only Unforgivable with some good uses as well. For example, aurors are permitted to use it on suicidal people to prevent them from taking their own lives. However, it must be lifted as soon as the person is out of danger.”

**“Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like.” Moody cut in, his magical eye swivelling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. “If you’d rather learn the hard way – when someone’s putting it on you so they can control you completely, fine by me. You’re excused. Off you go.”**

**He pointed one gnarled finger towards the door. Hermione dropped her gaze to the floor, knowing she wouldn’t walk out, but her head was pounding, the castle protesting to the whole situation.**

Remus frowned. “That can’t have been fun.”

Hermione grimaced. “It wasn’t.”

**Moody began to beckon students forwards in turn and put the Imperius curse upon them. Hermione watched nervously as, one by one, her classmates did the most extraordinary things under its influence. Dean Thomas hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Neville performed a series of quite amazing gymnastics moves he would certainly not have been capable of in his normal state.**

Neville snorted. “Not likely.”

**Not one of them seemed to be able to fight the curse off, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it.**

**“Potter.” Moody growled. “You’re next.”**

Lily swallowed hard, grasping James’s hand.

**Harry moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Moody had cleared of desks. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and said, “ _Imperio_.”**

**Harry’s expression went blank, just like everyone else’s had, and he bent his knees. Then …**

**Nothing happened.**

David stiffened. “What?”

**Hermione moved her gaze from Harry’s face to Moody’s and saw him narrow his real eye. Then, with a crash, Harry fell headlong into the desk in front of him, knocking it over.**

Lily gasped. “Why did Moody make him throw himself into a desk?”

“He didn’t.” David whispered, a smile spreading across his face. “Harry … you fought it off, didn’t you?”

Harry nodded, rubbing his knees. “Hurt like hell though.”

**“Now _that’s_ more like it!” Moody growled, lowering his wand. “Look at that, you lot … Potter fought! He fought it and he damn near beat it! We’ll try that again, Potter, and the rest of you, pay attention – watch his eyes, that’s where you see it – very good, Potter, very good indeed! They’ll have trouble controlling _you_!”**

**Hermione watched, half-amazed, half-proud, as Moody cast the curse on Harry four more times.**

“Oh, you poor thing.” Lily whimpered. “Your legs must have killed you.”

**The last time, Harry hadn’t moved at all and finally shook his head, stumbling back a few steps, throwing the curse off entirely.**

“That’s my boy!” James cried.

“That’s _Lily’s_ boy.” _Sirius_ corrected. “She was always more resistant to the curse than you were.”

**“Very good, Potter.” Moody repeated. “Granger, you’re next.”**

**Hermione stepped forwards and faced him, blocking her empathy off.**

“Good move.” David commented. “Pay attention you lot.”

Hermione smiled. “Actually, I’m not the best example.”

 _Addie_ gasped. “Of course you’re not! You’re a natural Occlumens.”

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall. The stronger you are at Occlumency,” he explained to the others, “the easier it is to throw off the Imperius Curse. A natural has no difficulty whatsoever. I’d be surprised if it even worked.”

**“ _Imperio!_ ”**

**Immediately, Hermione felt as though she was floating …**

“Is that what it feels like?” Arabella asked quietly.

Harry nodded. “Like you can’t do anything wrong. You’re so blissfully happy that you’d do anything.”

**… but something was strange about it – it flickered in and out as though she was watching a badly-tuned television.**

“You were right, Sirius.” David nodded. “It’s not going to work.

**_Do a cartwheel._ ** **Moody’s voice told her.**

**_Why?_ ** **Hermione asked. _I can’t do cartwheels. Last time I did one, I nearly broke my arm. I don’t particularly want to repeat the experience._**

**The classroom flickered back into focus again and she could see the others watching her intently. Moody was still staring at her, wand raised.**

“Hadn’t he realised?” Regulus asked.

Hermione shrugged. “I don’t think so. He didn’t know until I told him.”

**Hermione shook her head. “Professor, I don’t mean to be rude, but are you sure you cast it right?”**

**Moody lowered his wand, frowning. “Miss Granger, how exactly did you manage that? I didn’t even feel you throw it off.”**

David raised an eyebrow.

**“I … I don’t know.” Hermione admitted. “One minute I felt like I was floating, the next minute I was standing in the classroom.”**

**Moody gave her a suspicious look but didn’t push the subject. “Well, you’re another one they’ll have trouble controlling. Weasley, you’re next.”**

**“The way he talks,” Harry muttered, as they left the class an hour later (Harry still hobbling from the multiple times he’d smashed into the desk), “you’d think we were all going to be attacked any second.”**

David chuckled. “That’s Moody.”

**“Yeah, I know.” Ron was still skipping on every alternate step. He had had much more difficulty with the curse than Harry and Hermione, though Moody assured him the effects would have worn off by lunch-time. “Talk about paranoid … no wonder they were glad to get shot of him at the ministry, did you hear him telling Seamus what he did to that witch who shouted ‘boo’ behind him on April Fool’s Day?”**

“Poor woman.” _Sirius_ sighed, shaking his head. “She was never the same after that.”

 _Addie_ rolled her eyes. “Do I want to know?”

“You do.” _Sirius_ told her. “But it’s hardly an appropriate story in front of the kids.”  
“Then tell me later.” _Addie_ told him.

**“How come you could fight of the curse, Hermione?” Harry asked. “I mean, it took some effort with me …”**

**“Do you think it’s got something to do with …” Ron lowered his voice to a whisper “… You-Know-What?”**

“Good guess, but empathy wouldn’t have that effect.” Narcissa remarked.

“We didn’t know I was a natural back then.” Hermione explained. “It was the only think we could think of.”

**“Maybe.” Hermione frowned. “I just don’t know.”**

**When they arrived back in the Entrance Hall that evening, after Care of Magical Creatures, they found themselves unable to proceed, owing to the large crowd of students congregated there, all milling around a large sign which had been erected at the foot of the marble staircase. Ron, the tallest of the three, stood on tiptoe to see over the heads in front of them and read the sign aloud to the other two.**

**_TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT_ **

**_The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at 6 o’clock on Friday 30 th of October._ **

“This should be interesting.” James commented.

Harry sighed. “I hate Halloween.”

**_Lessons will end half an hour early …_ **

**“Brilliant!” Harry grinned. “It’s Potions last thing on Friday! Snape won’t have time to poison us all!”**

Sirius grinned. “Well, that alone is enough to cheer people up.”

**_Students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast._ **

**“Only a week away!” Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff emerged from the crowd, his eyes gleaming. “I wonder if Cedric knows …**

Harry closed his eyes momentarily but said nothing.

**… Think I’ll go and tell him.”**

**“Cedric?” Ron asked blankly, as Ernie hurried off.**

**“Diggory.” Harry elaborated. “He must be entering the Tournament.”**

**“That idiot, Hogwarts champion?”**

“Cedric’s not an idiot.” Hermione snapped. It was a lot easier to deal with this now that they knew he was alright, just trapped, like James and Lily, although even before then they hadn’t started using past tense with his name yet.

**Ron scowled, as they pushed their way through the chattering crowd towards the staircase.**

**“He’s not an idiot – you just don’t like him because he beat Gryffindor at Quidditch.” Hermione argued. “I’ve heard he’s a really good student – _and_ he’s a Prefect.”**

**“You only like him because he’s _handsome_.” Ron muttered scathingly.**

Hermione rolled her eyes. “That’s not it. Although he is quite good-looking.”

“He is, isn’t he?” Ginny agreed, before catching Fred’s eye. “Oh, don’t you start! I’m allowed to look.”

**“Excuse me, I don’t like people just because they’re handsome!” Hermione huffed indignantly.**

**Ron gave a loud false cough, which sounded suspiciously like “Lockhart!”**

“Low blow.” Mandy remarked.

**The impending arrival of the other two schools seemed to put a spell on the castle. The Tournament was the only subject of conversation, the teachers were even snappier than usual, the paintings were grumbling about rashes, the suits of armour had stopped squeaking and Filch was behaving so ferociously that he’d reduced two first year girls to tears.**

“Git.” Remus scowled.

**Hermione noticed very little of this, though. She had a blinding headache.**

“Oh dear.” Lily sighed. “The wards?”

Hermione nodded. “They were being lowered to let the other schools in and Hogwarts really didn’t like it.”

**Of course, she reflected after a day, she should have realised. The founders had warned her, after all, that she would pick up on what the castle was feeling, and Salazar Slytherin himself had mentioned this event specifically.**

**After a week, she taught herself the Silencing Charm …**

“Impressive.” Regulus remarked.

 _Sirius_ smiled proudly at her. “Smartest witch of her age.”

**… and placed it on the curtains around her bed, satisfied that Lavender and Parvati were never going to burst through her bed-curtains to wake her. Every night, she would transform and sleep as a lioness; the effect dimmed and, by Friday, it was nothing more than a dull ache.**

“That’s good.” Jen said with a smile.

**At breakfast, she was talking about who the judges might be with Ron and the twins, when Harry choked slightly on his bacon. Ron thumped him on the back and Hermione looked up to see Hedwig fluttering down to them, with two letters tied to her leg.**

**“Tell me later.” Ginny muttered in Hermione’s ear. “Fred, George, how’s WWW coming?”**

Fred pouted. “I should have known you had ulterior motives.”

**The twins sufficiently distracted, Harry pulled one letter off of Hedwig’s leg and she hopped across the table and stuck out her leg again. Hermione pulled the other letter off and gave Hedwig some bacon rind, which she ate gratefully.**

**“What does it say?” Ron whispered.**

**Harry unrolled it and read it out to them. “‘Nice try, Harry.**

James chuckled. “Nice start.”

**I’m back in the country and well-hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that’s going on at Hogwarts. Don’t use Hedwig; keep changing owls.**

“Why?” Arabella asked.

“Snowy owls aren’t that common and they’re easy to spot.” Sirius answered before his future self could. “Different owls have less of a chance of being followed.”

**And don’t worry about me, just watch out for yourself. Remember what I said about your scar. Love, Sirius.’ Looks like you’ve got to get up earlier than I did to fool a Marauder. And I got up pretty damn early.”**

“How early?” Lily asked.

“Six thirty.” Harry answered.

“That’s not early.” Lily told him with a smile.

“It was a Saturday, Mum.” Harry explained.

“And what are you talking about ‘not early’?” Sirius demanded. “No one should be up at that time!”

**He looked up at Hermione. “What about yours?”**

**Hermione unrolled it. “‘Dear Hermione. First of all, I promise I won’t do anything stupid.**

_Addie_ sighed. “The problem, Sirius, is that your definition of ‘anything stupid’ is very different from the rest of us.”

 _Sirius_ looked affronted. “I’ve never done anything that stupid.”

“Oh, really?” _Addie_ raised an eyebrow. “So a few months after I was attacked, you didn’t take twenty first years up on to the roof of the school and lead them in an aerobics demonstration?”

 _Sirius_ turned red. “Who told you about that?”

“Lily.” _Addie_ said cheerfully. “Told me that you nearly gave McGonagall a heart attack. Especially when James told her you were recruiting future trouble-makers. Peter had to run and get her a cup of tea?”

 _Sirius_ cleared his throat. “I missed you?”

 _Addie_ shook her head. “Sirius, there is no excuse for this.”

**Secondly, you were right; I got his letter a few hours after yours. I’m mentioning it in his letter, but remind him to keep using different owls. Hedwig stands out too much. Tell Ginny it was a good guess, but it didn’t belong to any of my cousins and, to be honest, it’s painful to think about.**

Jen winced, almost able to feel the pain in the words.

**Just keep it on you at all times. Speaking of family, thanks for passing on Cissy’s message – you’re right, it made perfect sense to me. I want Harry to tell me everything odd that happens at Hogwarts, but I have a feeling that he’ll hold back …**

“Harry?” Fred asked innocently. “Surely not.”

**… so I want you to do the same. And, yes, Jade was Lily’s nickname, although I can’t think where you’ve heard it recently.**

“Nice.” Regulus smirked. “Implies she’s definitely heard it before, but without being definite about it.”

**All of you, be careful; don’t do anything I’d do.**

“Good advice.” _Addie_ smirked.

**Stay strong; be safe. Love, Sirius _._ PS. Welcome Ginny to the ‘aiding and abetting’ club for me. Do you think there’s enough people for t-shirts yet?’”**

_Addie_ chuckled. “Absolutely.” She waved her wand and the shirts of everyone from the future were transfigured to plain white, all with a paw-print on the front, adorned with …

“A&A?” Hermione asked, looking down.

“Aiding and abetting.” _Addie_ elaborated. “And now we do have t-shirts.” **  
Ron sniggered. “It’s kind of obvious he was a Marauder, isn’t it?”**

**Hermione, however, was frowning at the letter. “Do you ever get that feeling that something bad’s going to happen?”**

**“Yes.” Harry confirmed. “You have it too?”**

**Hermione nodded. “And so does Sirius. I don’t think this tournament is going to go as smoothly as the Ministry wants it to.”**

“Actually, the tournament itself did go quite smoothly.” Harry commented. “You know, aside from that little hiccup.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “The problem, Harry, is that ‘little hiccup’ wasn’t so little.”

**At half past five, Hermione and her class-mates hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, dumped their schoolbags, pulled their cloaks and rushed downstairs into the Entrance Hall, where the Heads of Houses were directing their students into lines. McGonagall snapped at a few Gryffindors to straighten their hats or fix their hair …**

“Not all of us.” Harry grinned. “She reached me, sighed and said, “Mr Potter, I’m not even going to bother. Out you go.””

**… and led them, year-by-year, onto the front steps.**

**The moon was already above the Forest, bathing them all in a pale translucent light.**

Remus shuddered automatically.

**“Nearly six.” Ron muttered, staring at the front gates. “How’d you reckon they’re coming? The train?”**

“Not going to happen.” Regulus chuckled. “Beauxbatons might go for it, but if the Headmaster of Durmstrang is anything like the one they’ve got now, they’re _not_ going to go for it. They still think it’s disgusting that Hogwarts uses Muggle transportation to get to Hogwarts.”

“Well, there’s too many students to use portkeys.” Jen shrugged. “It’s alright for Bulgaria, they don’t really have huge Muggle settlements so it’s easy to use magical travel without being seen.”

Lily frowned. “Now you mention it, how come pureblood parents didn’t argue about Muggle transport?”  
“Oh, they did.” David told her. “But then the Ministry told them that they either caught the train or didn’t go to Hogwarts and they shut up.”

**“I doubt it.” Hermione disagreed, remembering what Arthur had said at the World Cup. _“Always the same; we can’t resist showing off when we get together.”_**

“That too.” Regulus agreed.

**“How then?” Harry asked, looking up at the sky. “Broomsticks?”**

James shook his head. “Too far.”

**“I don’t think so.” Hermione frowned. “Not from that far away.”**

**“A portkey?” Ron suggested. “Or they could apparate; maybe you’re allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from.”**

**“You can’t apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds!” Hermione snapped, rolling her eyes and feeling rather like a parrot.**

“They could have apparated to outside the gates though, couldn’t they?” Harry asked.

Hermione hesitated. “I hadn’t thought of that.” She admitted sheepishly.

**“How many times do I have to tell you?”**

**For the next five minutes, they stood in eager anticipation. As the cold began to creep up her legs, Hermione shifted on the spot, trying to get some feeling back into her feet.**

“Could at least have cast a warming charm.” Fred muttered. “It was freezing out there.”

**“Aha!” Dumbledore called out suddenly. “Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!”**

**“Where?!” About a hundred voices asked eagerly.**

**“There!”**

**Glancing over her shoulder, Hermione saw that the shout had come from a Ravenclaw sixth year, who was pointing over the Forest. When she looked back, the reason became clear; something huge was hurtling towards them.**

**“Well, it’s not a broomstick.” Hermione commented dryly.**

“Definitely not.” Mandy agreed with a laugh.

**“It’s a dragon!” One of the first years shrieked.**

**“Don’t be stupid!” One of her class-mates scoffed.**

“Dennis Creevy.” Harry supplied.

**“It’s a flying house!”**

“It’s not going to be either of those.” Sirius rolled his eyes.

**His guess was quite close …**

Addie smirked. “You were saying?”  
Sirius pouted. “Be nice to me.”

**… Hermione realised as the light from the castle hit the object; it was a gigantic powder-blue carriage drawn by twelve winged palomino horses each about the size of an elephant.**

James let out a low whistle. “Blimey.”

**A coat of arms she recognised as the symbol of Beauxbatons was pictured on the door and the carriage landed in front of them with a crash that made several students jump. A footman leapt out to assemble golden steps and jumped back smartly. The woman who stepped out had to be as large as Hagrid but seemed so much more graceful.**

“Dad?” James asked.

David shook his head. “No idea.”

**As Dumbledore led the students in a round of applause, she smiled graciously and extended a bejewelled hand towards Dumbledore, who kissed it chivalrously**

**“My dear Madame Maxime.” He greeted. “Welcome to Hogwarts.”**

**“Dumbly-dorr.”**

The Marauders snickered.

**Madame Maxime returned. “I ’ope I find you well?”**

**“On excellent form, I thank you.”**

**“My pupils.” Madame Maxime waved a careless hand behind her and Hermione, whose attention had been focused on the headmistress, noticed that around a dozen boys and girls were huddled behind her, staring at the castle apprehensively and shivering. This last point was unsurprising, seeing as it was the end of October and they seemed to be wearing robes made only of very fine silk and none of them were wearing cloaks, although a few of them had wrapped scarves around their heads.**

Lily rolled her eyes. “Didn’t they think to bring cloaks with them, given how cold Scotland is in the winter?”

“No.” Hermione answered dryly. Even though Fleur had turned out to be quite down-to-earth, most of her classmates were stuck-up snobs.

**Hermione was so focused on the students and the amazing size of their headmistress that she was startled when the Hogwarts students suddenly parted to allow Madame Maxime and her students to enter the castle.**

“Honestly, Mione, pay attention.” Harry teased. “You missed her telling Dumbledore that the horses only drink single-malt whiskey.”

“Unbelievable.” Jen muttered. “I bet Hagrid had a field day.”

**“How big d’you reckon Durmstrang’s horses are going to be?” Seamus asked over Lavender and Parvati’s heads.**

“They won’t use horses.” Sirius said confidently. “They’ll want to be different.”

**“Well, if they’re any bigger than this lot, even Hagrid won’t be able to handle them.” Harry answered. “That’s if he hasn’t been attacked by his Skrewts. Wonder what’s up with them?”**

“What made you think there was anything wrong?” David asked.

“Well, while Hermione was distracted, Dumbledore told Madame Maxime that Hagrid would take care of the horses after he’d sorted out his other ‘charges’.” Harry explained.

**“Maybe they’ve escaped.” Ron suggested, sounding hopeful.**

**Hermione shuddered. “Oh, don’t say that!” She pleaded. “Imagine that lot loose on the grounds …”**

She shuddered again at the very thought.

**For a few minutes, they stood in silence, many people gazing at the sky.**

**“Can you hear something?” Ron asked suddenly.**

**He was right. Hermione frowned and strained her ears. It sounded like a vacuum cleaner, but underwater …**

**“The lake!” Lee Jordan shouted from behind her. “Look at the lake!”**

**Hermione watched in fascination as a whirlpool appeared in the middle of the lake and a ship slowly rose from it’s midst.**

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Talk about dramatic.”

**As it reached the bank, there was the splash of an anchor and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.**

**As the students disembarked, they all seemed to be built like Crabbe and Goyle, but, as they walked up the lawns towards them, it became apparent that the bulk due to shaggy cloaks.**

“At least they’re dressed more appropriately for the Scottish winter.” Lily remarked. “Even if they have overdone it a little.”

**The man at their head was tall and thin, like Dumbledore, but had a curled goatee, rather than a long beard, that didn’t quite hide his weak chin.**

Jen and Sirius exchanged a glance, both of them recognising that description.

“Can’t be him.” She murmured. “There’s no way …”

**As he approached the castle, Hermione felt the wards shiver and the pain in her head exploded again.**

**“You alright?” Harry whispered, looping an arm around her waist as she staggered sideways.**

**“The castle …” Hermione muttered, putting a hand to her head. “She doesn’t like him very much.”**

“Doesn’t surprise me.” Jen muttered. “Given the school’s propensity for ‘Dark Arts’.”

**Harry squinted at the man. “Can’t you just promise to keep an eye on him?”**

**Hermione closed her eyes. _Hogwarts? I know you don’t like the Durmstrang Headmaster, but there’s nothing I can do at the moment. I promise to keep an eye on him and I’ll report anything I find to Professor Dumbledore._**

**The castle flared again in irritation …**

David raised an eyebrow. “Now that’s interesting.”

**… and Hermione bit back a gasp.**

**_Professor McGonagall?_ **

**Apparently, Hogwarts was satisfied by this and settled down. Hermione rubbed her head as the pain receded, barely paying attention as Dumbledore greeted Professor Karkaroff …**

“WHAT?!” Sirius and Jen demanded.

 _Sirius_ sniggered. “Well, you took that well.”

“ _Igor_ Karkaroff?” Jen scowled. “So it was him. There’s no way he’s not a Death Eater.”  
“He is.” Hermione said casually.

Sirius frowned. “Isn’t he the guy you were betrothed to before we told Mother and Father to go to hell?”

Jen shook her head as Remus’s arm tightened around her waist. “No, that was Macnair – why do you think I hate him so much?”

**… or as Viktor Krum was revealed to be one of the Durmstrang students.**

“Bloody hell, he’s still at school?” Regulus said. “That’s incredible.”

**Why didn’t the castle want her to trust Dumbledore?**

“Good question.” David frowned.

**The Hogwarts house-elves outdid themselves that evening …**

Fred shook his head sadly. “Peaked too early, bless them.”

**… with a great number of unfamiliar dishes and some Hermione only recognised from her trips to France. The Durmstrang students, sitting at the Slytherin table …**

“Of course they were.” Sirius muttered.

**… seemed interested in everything, but the Beauxbatons students – especially a blonde girl who Ron insisted had Veela blood …**

“She does.” Harry put in. “Her grandmother was a Veela.”

“How’d you know that, Harry?” Lily asked curiously.

“I overheard her telling someone.” Harry answered, only half-truthfully.

**… were seated with the Ravenclaws and acted, much to Hermione’s disgust, as though everything was below them.**

“Not all of them.” Fred disagreed.

“No.” Hermione agreed. “Most of them were though.”

**The second that dessert had disappeared, Dumbledore stood up, seeming to fill the Great Hall with a pleasant sort of tension. Several students, including Fred and George, were leaning forwards in anticipation.**

**“The moment has come.” Dumbledore announced. “The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket …”**

“Casket?” Lily asked. “As in a coffin?”

“More like a trunk.” Hermione told her.

**“The what?” Harry muttered.**

**Ron shrugged, but Hermione was distracted by a flash of red hair out of the corner of her eye, and not for the first time that week. She looked towards the doors of the Hall. There was no one there. _Odd. I could have sworn I saw …_ Hermione shook herself mentally. _Never mind._**

Lily’s face lit up. “You saw me, didn’t you?”

Hermione nodded. “Only for a second, but not long enough recognise you.”

**She tuned back into Dumbledore’s speech.**

**“… for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Co-Operation and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.”**

“I’m guessing they’re the judges?” Lily asked.

Hermione nodded. “Them, and the three heads.”

**Hermione noticed that Bagman received a much louder round of applause than his colleague, but, then again, he did look much more likeable.**

Fred snorted, but said nothing.

**Mr. Crouch looked quite odd in wizard’s robes, compared to his neat suit at the World Cup.**

**Dumbledore explained that Crouch and Bagman would be the other two judges and Filch, who was wearing the most hideous suit Hermione had ever seen …**

Fred shuddered. “It was rather disgusting, wasn’t it?”

**… brought in an old chest.**

**“There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school-year, and they will test the champions in many different ways … their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction, and, of course, their ability to cope with danger.”**

Lily closed her eyes and breathed slowly. At least Harry couldn’t enter.

**The last word instilled a fear in Hermione’s chest that seemed to constrict her lungs. She expanded her empathy. Only Ginny seemed to share her fear, although Harry and Ron seemed on edge, even if they didn’t realise it.**

“I was?” Harry asked.

Hermione nodded.

**If Dumbledore sensed any unease in the Hall, he didn’t mention it and pressed on calmly. “As you know, three champions compete in the Tournament, one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be selected by an impartial selector … the Goblet of Fire.”**

Jen sucked in a breath. “A goblet … That’s what the dream was about.”

**Hermione watched in horror as the headmaster removed a black, flame-filled cup from the chest in front of him. Her eyes slid across the table to meet Ginny’s.**

“Good.” Jen whispered. “At least you’ve caught on as well.”

**Two shades of brown stared at each other for several minutes, barely hearing Dumbledore explaining the process and the age restrictions, both brimming with worry.**

**By Halloween morning, Hermione’s headache had all but disappeared, but that didn’t make her feel any better.**

“I’m not surprised.” Lily whispered.

**Her concerns about Professor Karkaroff were nothing compared to the sheer worry that had overtaken her when the ‘impartial judge’ had been revealed.**

**The Goblet of Fire may have been a very powerful magical object, but all that mattered to Hermione was that it was technically a cup and her own voice kept echoing in her mind.**

**_“Touch of cup brings respite’s end.” Alright, Hermione, just calm down, alright? Harry hates attention – he wouldn’t go near that cup even if he was able to enter._ **

“True …” James rubbed Lily’s arm. “That’s true. Harry already told us didn’t enter his name.”

Lily relaxed. “Right. That’s true.”

**On top of all this, Hermione had seen her first ‘living spirit’, proving the theory in the book. She knew the red-headed woman she kept seeing out of the corner of her eye must have been a spirit, because no one else seemed to pay the least bit of attention to her.**

**The woman had yet to speak to Hermione and she was waiting for the spirit to make the first move – she wasn’t entirely sure of the etiquette in this situation.**

**_After all, she looks vaguely familiar …_ **

“You didn’t recognise me?” Lily asked.

Hermione smiled. “Believe it or not, Lily, I wasn’t willing to believe I was seeing dead people just yet. I thought it might have been Ginny, actually.”

“Plausible.” Mandy commented. “Ginny and Lily do look very similar.”

“We really do.” Lily agreed. “Are we absolutely sure we only had one child?”  
 _Sirius_ laughed. “Yeah, we are.”

**_… but I don’t know if I know her. And I wouldn’t walk up to a complete stranger and just say hello just because I could._ **

Jen pulled a face. “I don’t envy you, Hermione. That seems like a really weird situation.”

**Her mind firmly back on the Goblet of Fire, Hermione pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt (the castle could be freezing in the winter), before fastening her robes over the top. She ran a brush through her hair, pulled it up into a ponytail, and made her way downstairs, stumbling into the Entrance Hall and running straight into Ginny.**

“Literally.” Ginny smirked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Like you were any better.”

**Mumbling a greeting, she wiped the sleep from her eyes to see that Ginny looked just as tired as she was.**

**“You didn’t sleep much either, huh?”**

“Not a wink.” Ginny muttered.

**Ginny yawned. “I was this close to sneaking into the boys’ dorm, nicking Harry’s cloak and sleeping down here just to keep an eye on it.”**

“Wish I had.” Ginny muttered.

“And what could you have done?” Harry asked quietly. “They’d have found a way, Ginny.”

**Hermione shrugged. “I kept an eye on the Marauders’ Map all night. Only Mr. Crouch came anywhere near it and he’s one of the judges, so we’re alright.”**

Hermione stifled her sigh. If only the Map could distinguish between junior and senior.

**“Thanks for telling me.” Harry muttered in her ear.**

**Hermione jumped as his breath ghosted past her skin and turned to face him. “Sorry; you were asleep.” She replied just as quietly, managing to slip the Map from her pocket into his in one slick move.**

“You’re good at that, aren’t you?” Harry remarked, remembering how she’d managed to rescue the map from ‘Moody’s’ desk.

**“Anyone put their name in yet.” Ron asked, changing the subject.**

**“All the Durmstrang lot.” A third year girl informed him. “But I haven’t seen anyone from Hogwarts yet.”**

**“I’d have done it last night after everyone had gone to bed.” Harry admitted. “Less nerve-racking that way.”**

Harry grimaced. “Scratch that. I wouldn’t have done it at _all_.”

Lily smiled at him. “Good. At least I know that some of my common sense got through to you.”

“As opposed to what?” James asked, sounding put out.

“Your recklessness.” Lily responded cheerfully.

“She’s right.” Remus told him, before he could argue. “Just accept it.”

**As Hermione woke up properly, she realised that there wasn’t just excitement in the air. Frowning slightly, she tried to place the sense of grief she felt, finally reaching Harry.**

Hermione shook her head with a sigh. “How do I not pick up things like that?”

“It’s not your fault.” Harry told her quietly. “I never really paid attention until that year. And you picked up more than Ron did.”

**Once she’d done that, she mentally slapped herself for not realising earlier. Ever since first year, she had been convinced that Halloween was both a blessing and a curse, especially for Harry.**

“A blessing?” Harry questioned. “When has it ever been a blessing?”

**First year – a troll had been released into Hogwarts and nearly killed her …**

“Exactly!” Harry agreed.

“I wasn’t finished.” Draco told him.

**… BUT she gained the two best friends she could ask for.**

“Oh …” Harry looked sheepish. “Yeah, I suppose that would make up for it.”

 _Sirius_ shook his head. “In future, Kitten, just meet them for coffee or something.”

**Second year – Mrs Norris was attacked and Petrified by a basilisk BUT it could have been a student and it could have been a lot worse.**

“That’s true.” Jen said slowly.

**Third year – Sirius Black attacked the Fat Lady BUT that was when Hermione began to subconsciously question his guilt (surely he’d realise the Tower would be empty on Halloween).**

**Harry’s hatred of the holiday journeyed back even further, to the night, thirteen years ago, when his parents were murdered by Lord Voldemort.**

Ginny sighed. “Again, Mione, you really know how to bring down the mood, don’t you?”

**BUT Voldemort had fled, powerless, unable to kill the Boy-Who-Lived.**

“It wasn’t worth it.” Harry muttered.

Lily squeezed his hand. “Harry, I’d gladly die a hundred times if it meant that my family was safe.”

“As would I.” James added.

“Oh, so that’s where Harry gets it from.” Hermione commented.

**_Not worth it._ ** **Hermione sighed, watching Harry fake a smile as the twins appeared either side of her.**

**“Done it!” Fred announced in a triumphant whisper.**

**“Done what?” Ron asked.**

**“The Aging Potion, dungbrains!” George rolled his eyes.**

“Never going to work!” Jen sang.

**“One drop each. We only need to be a couple of months older.”**

**“We’re going to split the money equally if one of us wins.” Lee added.**

**“It’s not going to work.” Hermione sang, with a smirk.**

**The three sixth years ignored her and she tried to hold back her laughter as the twins stepped across the Age Line, only to be catapulted back with long white beards.**

James raised an eyebrow. “Did Dumbledore just …”

“… prank the Weasley twins?” Sirius finished.

“Not just them.” Hermione smiled. “And please don’t start talking like them – I don’t think my sanity would survive.”

“Much like all hopes of a normal life, you gave up your sanity when you met me.” Harry told her cheerfully. “You can’t have both.”

**“I did warn you.” Dumbledore pointed out in amusement. “I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to several other students who seemed to think that an aging potion would fool the Age Line. Though, I must say, none of them sprouted beards as fine as yours.”**

**Fred and George set off sheepishly towards the Hospital Wing, accompanied by Lee, who was laughing hysterically.**

“Some friend.” James frowned.

Lily rolled her eyes. “Right, because you’d be nice and supportive if that happened to Sirius, wouldn’t you?”

James sniggered. “Alright, fair enough.”

**Chuckling under her breath, Hermione followed Harry and Ron into the Great Hall, where, appropriately, hundreds of live bats fluttered around the hall.**

**The Durmstrang students and many of the Hogwarts students were already and the four Gryffindors joined Seamus and Dean for breakfast.**

**“There’s a rumour going round saying that Warrington got up early and put his name in.” Dean was saying. “That big bloke from Slytherin who looks like a sloth.”**

“You can’t have a Slytherin champion!” James protested, making Hermione smile.

**Harry shook his head in disgust. “We can’t have a Slytherin champion!”**

“Like father like son.” Lily sighed. “Typical.”

**Before Hermione could agree, a voice beside her muttered, “Typical.” There was a flash of red in her peripheral vision; she turned, only to see an empty space.**

“Sounds like you don’t change much, Lil.” Arabella teased.

**_Whoever it is, she’s hanging around us a lot. Maybe I should talk to her next time she appears._ **

Lily nodded eagerly, hoping that it wouldn’t take too long.

**_If I can think of way of doing that without looking like a raving lunatic, of course._ **

**“And all the Hufflepuffs are talking about Diggory.” Seamus scowled. “But I wouldn’t have thought he’d have wanted to risk his good looks.”**

“That’s not fair.” Ginny said in a low voice.

**“There’s nothing wrong with him.” Hermione snapped. “He hexed a Slytherin last year when he called me a Mudblood.”**

“Alright, I like him.” James announced.

**“Which Slytherin?” Harry asked immediately, overriding Ron’s, “Which hex?”**

Fred rolled his eyes. “Priorities, Ron. Priorities.”

**Hermione sighed and pointed at Harry. “Montague.” Ron. “Don’t know; never seen it before. Quite impressive though.”**

“It looked like his hands and feet switched places.” Hermione said with a smile. “And then Cedric practically stalked me until I met up with Harry and Ron. Thankfully, it was over lunch and I didn’t have an elective afterwards, otherwise time-travel would have been a little difficult.”

**“Listen!” Seamus said suddenly.**

**Cheering was floating in from the Great Hall and, moments later, Angelina Johnson walked in. “I’ve done it.” She announced, taking a seat next to Hermione. “I’ve put my name in.”**

“That’s more like it.” James announced, applauding with the other Marauders. “Let’s hope she’s the Hogwarts Champion.”  
Harry somehow managed to resist the urge to shudder. As awful as it was to watch what happened to Cedric in the graveyard, he hardly knew him. Angelina – like the other two Gryffindor Chasers – was like an older sister to him.

_Thank Merlin it wasn’t her._

**Ron looked impressed. “You’re kidding?”**

**“You seventeen then?” Seamus asked.**

“No, of course not.” Sirius said, deadpan.

**Ron rolled his eyes. “Course she is. Can’t see a beard, can you?”**

**“I had my birthday last week.” Angelina elaborated.**

**“Well, I really hope you get it.” Hermione told her.**

**“Thanks, Hermione.”**

**“Better you than Pretty Boy Diggory.” Ron muttered, causing a couple of passing Hufflepuffs to scowl at him.**

“All this because of Quidditch?” Lily asked, rolling her eyes. “Honestly!”

**Hermione rolled her eyes and was about to berate Ron once more, when she realised that Harry hadn’t said anything since his dismissal of a Slytherin champion. He was staring at his plate, pushing his scrambled eggs around with his fork.**

Lily sighed, her amusement vanishing.

**Hermione hesitated, glancing at her own breakfast. She loved Harry dearly …**

Fred opened his mouth.

“Wait.” Draco told him.

**… and there was no way she was going to let him wallow in misery for the whole day, but she was incredibly hungry.**

“Oh, thanks, Hermione!” Harry protested. “Is breakfast really more important than me?”

Hermione smiled sheepishly. “They had bacon, Harry. And it did say that I love you, remember?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Love you too.”

**Compromising, Hermione grabbed some bacon and wrapped it in a napkin, before nudging Harry. “Want to go for a walk?”**

**Harry dropped his fork instantly. “Yes please.”**

**The two friends made their way out of the Great Hall, pausing only to let the Beauxbatons students pass them. They rounded the lake …**

“Ah, the lake.” Fred sighed. “Why do you two always go to the lake?”

Hermione shrugged. “Habit.”

**… in comfortable silence and, once they were on the opposite side, their view of the castle blocked by the Durmstrang ship, Harry stopped, dropping to sit on the floor.**

**Hermione followed suit, wiping her fingers on the now empty napkin and tucking it inside her robes. “I swear, bacon is the reason I could never be vegetarian.”**

_Addie_ chuckled. “That is so Padfoot.”

 _Sirius_ nodded in agreement. “It’s a good attitude to have.”

**Harry managed a small smile, but said nothing.**

**Stifling a sigh, Hermione shifted to face him and held her arms out. “Come here.”**

**Normally, Harry tended to avoid hugs, unless she instigated them, but today, he welcomed it …**

“I needed one.” Harry whispered, feeling Lily shift closer to him.

**… wrapping his own arms around her waist and burying his face in her shoulder.**

**Hermione rubbed his back comfortingly, pretending that she couldn’t feel him shaking slightly. When he pulled away, his eyes were bright and red-rimmed, but she made no comment on it. “Bad day?”**

“Just a bit.” James muttered

**Harry chuckled weakly, rubbing his face with his hand. “Something like that.” He gazed across the lake. “It’s different this year. Halloween, I mean. I always knew that’s when they … died. At least, I did once Hagrid told me.”**

Lily gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to apparate home and curse her sister. **  
Hermione bit back a scathing remark about his aunt. _Honestly, who doesn’t tell a little boy about his parents?_**

“To be fair …” Harry said quietly, staring at the ceiling “… they did tell me. At least, they told me what they told Jess, which was that my parents were worthless freaks who deserved everything they got.” He managed a small smile. “After first year, she told me that she knew the Dursleys were lying, because anyone they hate must be lovely by default.”  
Lily hugged Harry tightly. “I’m so sorry you ended up with them, sweetheart.”

**“But it seems … worse this year.” Harry sighed.**

**“Maybe it’s because you’ve got more of a connection this year.” Hermione suggested. “What did you have last year – a few photos and a physical resemblance? Now you’ve got people who knew them personally. They’re people now, not just people who died for you.”**

Lily glanced at James, who moved to Harry’s other side, drawing both of them into an embrace.

**Harry nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”**

**Hedwig fluttered down beside them with a letter tied to her leg.**

**“You’re late.” Harry murmured, taking the letter from her. Hedwig let out an indignant squawk …**

Arabella chuckled. “Nothing like an owl with personality.”

**… and flapped to Hermione’s shoulder.**

**“I don’t think she likes what you’re insinuating.” Hermione smiled slightly. “Isn’t that Arabella’s handwriting?**

Lily’s face broke into a smile. “Thank you.”

“We already knew we were writing.” Arabella reminded her.

“Yeah, but on Halloween …” Lily rested her head atop Harry’s.

**Hedwig’s a smart owl, maybe she knew you shouldn’t get a letter like this in public.”**

**Harry frowned. “A letter like what?” He opened the letter and ran his gaze over it, a soft smile appearing on his face. “Never mind.”**

**Hermione stroked Hedwig’s feathers and looked the other way, while Harry wiped his eyes again. “Alright?”**

**“Fine.” Harry rolled the letter up and tucked it inside his robes. “They just wanted to tell me that they miss them too and that they’re thinking of me.”**

“Me and Remus too?” Mandy guessed.

Harry nodded and James caught Remus’s eye as Lily thanked them again. He didn’t say anything, but then he didn’t need to and Remus nodded in understanding. **  
Hermione nodded. “I thought it’d be something like that.”**

**Harry sighed again. “It’s just weird, you know? I don’t remember them, but I miss them so much it hurts sometimes.”**

“They miss you too.” _Addie_ said softly.

**Hermione pulled a face. “Harry … I don’t know what to say. Nothing sounds quite right in my head.”**

“Oh, I hate it when that happens.” Lily grimaced.

Draco chuckled and read the next line.

**“I hate when that happens.”  A soft female voice sympathised from beside her.**

James nudged his girlfriend. “Apparently, nothing changes.”

**Hermione jumped, but Harry made no sign that he’d even heard the voice …**

“That’s because I didn’t.” Harry said.

**… let alone been surprised by it. She glanced round, to see the redhead she’d seen earlier sitting on her other side, watching the Durmstrang students returning to their ship. Giving her little more than a cursory glance …**

Lily rolled her eyes. “Thanks!”

“I thought you were Ginny!” Hermione reminded her.

**… she turned back to Harry. “Hey, Gin.”**

**“Ginny?” Harry glanced over her head at what – to him, at least – appeared to be empty grass. “Hermione, there’s nobody there.”**

“I thought she’d lost it.” Harry admitted.

“She has.” Fred said solemnly. “That’s no reason to hold it against her.”

Hermione hit him with a cushion.

**“No, her spirit.” Hermione corrected with a smile. “Remember, I told you how I could see them …”**

**“Actually, Hermione,” the spirit interrupted, “Harry’s right. I’m not Ginny.”  
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just …” Hermione turned back to the woman to apologise, but froze almost immediately.**

“Recognise me?” Lily guessed.

Hermione nodded. “Thought I was going mental.”

**Looking at the woman properly, it was obvious that she wasn’t Ginny – she was older, for one, and her hair was a slightly darker shade of red.**

Jen compared the two. “Just slightly.” She commented. “But you’re right.”

**But the most glaring difference was in her eyes, and it was these which caught Hermione’s attention.**

“They were the same as mine.” Harry concluded.

**“No …” She whispered. “No, that’s impossible.”  
“Hermione?” Harry questioned, sounding worried. “Hermione, what’s wrong?”**

**Hermione heard his query, but it didn’t quite seem to register in her mind what he’d said, even as she turned back to him. “Would you excuse me for one second? Empath thing.”**

“You were really worrying me.” Harry told her. “I debated going to get Madam Pomfrey.”

“Why didn’t you?” Remus asked.

Harry pulled a face. “I’d managed to avoid the hospital wing until then and she hadn’t had a chance to force me into a check-up yet.”

**Without waiting for a reply, Hermione jumped to her feet and jogged down the shore, leaving Harry utterly confused.**

“Understatement.” Harry muttered.

**Once they were out of earshot, she ducked into the trees at the edge of the forest and turned to face the woman, who was still smiling kindly at her.**

**“You can’t be Lily Potter.”**

“I think I can.” Lily said brightly.

“Neville?” Arabella asked, before she took the book for her turn. “Would you like to read next?”


	18. Chapter Sixteen - Confrontations

Neville nodded and took the book from Draco, turning to the next chapter.

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Confrontations**

James frowned. “Not with us?”

Hermione grimaced, remembering the incident with Ron in the Great Hall. “No. Not with you.”

**The woman looked at her calmly, with eyes exactly the same shape and colour as Harry’s. “Why not?”**

Jen sighed. “You’re going to take a leaf out of Remus’s book, aren’t you?”

“How do you mean?” Lily asked.

“You’re going to counter every single one of Hermione’s arguments with calm logic until she’s more likely to yell at you than agree with you.” James elaborated for her.

Lily smirked. “Well, let’s find out, shall we?” **  
“Because Lily Potter is dead.” Hermione stated, well aware that her voice was shaking. “She has been dead for thirteen years. So unless I’ve somehow developed necromancy as well as empathy or this is some kind of sick joke …**

“Which did you think it was?” Alice asked.

“Latter.” Hermione answered. “Necromancy is something entirely different. I thought maybe I’d been cursed or something.”

**… then you can’t be Lily Potter.”  
“But I am.” ‘Lily’ told her.**

**“But you’re dead!” Hermione argued.**

**“Prove it.” ‘Lily’ responded serenely.**

“Yep, you’re doing a Moony.” James sighed.

Remus cleared his throat. “I am right here, you know.”

“We know, love.” Jen said casually. “I’m sorry, Hermione.”

**“Show me the proof that I’m dead and I’ll believe you.”**

Lily flinched. “You could have come up with an answer for that.”  
“Not really.” Hermione said quietly. “The attack on you was never actually investigated. I looked it up this summer.”

“They never investigated?!” David repeated. “Two people vanished, someone tried to murder their son, and no one investigated?!”

“Dumbledore told me James and Lily had been killed.” _Sirius_ told him.

Harry stiffened. “You don’t think … you don’t think he _knows_ , do you?”

Silence filled the room and _Sirius_ cleared his throat. “If you’d asked me before we started all this, I’d say no, but … I honestly don’t know, Harry.”

Slightly nervously, Neville cleared his throat. “Sh-should I keep reading?”

Alice wiped her anger at the headmaster from her face and gave him an encouraging smile. “Go ahead, sweetheart.”

**Hermione opened her mouth, paused, and closed it again, thinking back about everything she’d read about that Halloween night. She knew that Harry had never heard the Killing Curse around the Dementors – although he’d heard everything else – because he hadn’t known about it in DADA when Moody taught them the Unforgivables.**

“What curse do you hear, Harry?” Lily asked softly.

Harry closed his eyes and thought back. “I don’t. Hermione?”

Hermione copied his actions and dived into her memories, watching Lily vanish, engulfed in a sickly green light. “That’s because it was wordless.” She said shakily, opening her eyes. “Voldemort never said an incantation. The green light was the same though.”

**But then …**

**“Well, your bodies were never found …” Hermione said slowly. “But everyone knows that you were killed.”  
“You mean, like everyone ‘knows’ Sirius killed thirteen people?” ‘Lily’ asked with a smirk.**

“Nice.” Jen nodded to Lily. “Good example.”

“I think I pretty much believed her by then.” Hermione admitted.

“Why’s that?” Harry asked.

Hermione grinned. “That was something you’d have said.”

**“Come on, Hermione, use your logic. You’re a smart girl. You know you’re not crazy. Think it through.”**

**It was sound advice, Hermione had to admit, and she began to pace. “Okay, let me talk it out. I’m an empath. As an empath, I can only talk to spirits attached to living people, or living spirits.”  
“That’s right.” ‘Lily’ agreed.**

“Keep going.” Jen murmured.

**“And since I can only talk to living spirits, then you must be a living spirit.” Hermione continued.**

**“Uh-huh.”**

**Hermione slowed to a standstill. “And if you’re a living spirit, then you must be alive.” She pinched her arm, wincing at the sharp pain.**

Hermione rubbed the spot in question. “That hurt.”

**“And I’m not dreaming. And people who imagine things like this when they’re crazy either see people they know very well or people they don’t know at all, and I only know you through Harry. You really are Mrs Potter. And you’re alive.”**

The Marauders applauded and Lily blushed slightly.

**Lily’s smile widened. “By Jove, I think she’s got it!”**

“By what?” James asked.

“Muggle-born!” Hermione and Lily chorused.

**“You’re having one of those Muggle-born moments again, aren’t you?” A man’s voice asked, sounding partly amused, partly disgruntled.**

**He appeared beside Lily and Hermione’s eyes widened involuntarily, her gaze darting to Harry, still sitting on the bank of the lake, gazing in her direction concernedly.**

“They just looked so alike.” Hermione whispered. “I mean … I knew that but …”

**She gave him a reassuring smile and turned back to the man in front of her. “Mr Potter, I presume?”**

“Prongsie!” Sirius and Remus shouted.

**“Call me James.” He told her with an easy smile, a smile she’d seen on Harry’s face a thousand times.**

_Sirius_ nodded in agreement when Harry looked at him. “Yeah, you definitely have your dad’s smile.”

**Hermione leaned against the nearest tree, her head spinning. “Okay … so you two are alive. Where are you then?”**

Hermione laughed. “Oh, if only it were that easy!”

**“We don’t know.” Lily admitted. “We were both hit with some sort of transportation spell. It gave off the same green light as the Killing Curse, but it was non-verbal. Whatever it was, I’ve never read about it.”**

“Probably dark then.” James concluded.

 _Sirius_ frowned. “Not necessarily. Lily did quite a lot of research for the Order about dark spells …”

“I know what spell it is.” Draco whispered.

The room went silent and everyone stared at him.

“You know what spell it is?” _Sirius_ repeated. “How?”

“Because my father taught it to me.” Draco answered, staring at the floor. “It’s a Malfoy family spell. He told me never to teach it to someone outside the family, the hypocrite.”

“Is that …?” Addie hesitated. “Is that the spell they used on me?”  
“No.” Draco answered. “Definitely not. First, Father may have conceded to teach it to V-V-Voldemort, but he wouldn’t hand it over to anyone else. Secondly, I seem to recallSirius telling us that you didn’t disappear right away.”

“She didn’t.” _Sirius_ confirmed, glancing at her.

“It was pretty slow.” _Addie_ agreed softly. “Thank Merlin.”  
“You were grateful for that?” _Sirius_ frowned.

“Well, not exactly.” _Addie_ conceded. “If I’d been alone, I definitely wouldn’t be. But I wasn’t – you were with me. No one wants their last words to be ‘oh, crap’. I’m not counting what the Death Eaters would have heard.” She added before he could say anything.

“And that little moment of melodrama was perfect?” _Sirius_ asked with a grin.

“I was _not_ being melodramatic.” _Addie_ sniffed.

“Yes, you were.” _Sirius_ informed her. “You even admitted it.”  
 _Addie_ gaped at him. “When?!”

 _Sirius_ smirked at her. “And I quote, “With any luck, I’ll wake up in St Mungo’s to you laughing about how melodramatic I’m being.””

“I never said that.” _Addie_ insisted.

“Yeah, but you were thinking it.”

 _Addie_ sniggered. “Yeah, I was.”

“Are you two quite finished?” Alice asked wearily.

“We are.” _Addie_ said.

“Carry on, Neville.” _Sirius_ added.

While Neville found his place, Hermione leaned over to them. “That was just to take the attention off of Draco, wasn’t it?”

 _Addie_ smirked at her. “Worked, didn’t it?”

**Hermione nodded absently. _Now I KNOW I’m not making this up. If I’d gone crazy, I’d come up with a better answer than ‘we don’t know’. And that fits with what Harry remembers._**

**“We’ll explain more when you’ve told Harry.” Lily added.**

James raised an eyebrow. “This should be fun.”

**“Excuse me?” Hermione asked incredulously. “You want me to go and tell Harry that I can speak to the spirits of his supposedly-dead parents?!”**

“When you put it like that, it sounds ridiculous.” Lily said dryly.

Neville stared at the page for a few seconds. Alice peeked over his shoulder and giggled. “Well, that’s new.” **  
“When you put it like that, it sounds ridiculous.” James said dryly …**

Everyone turned to the couple, both of whom turned red.

“Who’s rubbing off on who?” Sirius asked.  
“Whom.” Remus corrected.

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Thanks.”

**… surprising a laugh out of her.**

**“It is ridiculous!” Hermione protested. “Today, of all days? It’s not like he knows enough to let me prove that it’s you!”**

Hermione winced. “That sounded more accusatory than I meant it to.”

Lily smiled at her. “I’m sure I knew what you meant.” **  
“Hermione, relax.” Lily soothed. “You think too much. We can’t affect our bodies, you know that, so we – the real us, I mean – we don’t know Harry’s alright. We’re just an imprint.” She took a deep breath. “Do you trust me, Hermione?”**

“Strange question.” Jen commented.

**“Yes.” Hermione answered without hesitation. “Why?”  
“Because you’re an empath, I can …” Lily paused, searching for the right word “… temporarily inhabit your body and tell Harry myself.**

Neville paused and glanced up, but no one seemed able to speak.

**But I can only do it with your permission.”**

**“You want to possess me?” Hermione asked, her voice higher than normal.**

**“Temporarily inhabit.” Lily repeated insistently.**

“Sounds like possession to me.” David said, finally finding his voice.

“Not really.” Hermione shrugged. “With possession, she’d be in control. I can push her out of my head any time I want.”

“Or don’t want.” Harry added.

Hermione pouted. “Be nice to me.”

**“Just to talk to him. Please?”**

**Hermione was about to refuse, but the pleading note in Lily’s voice made her hesitate. Lily wasn’t just offering so that Hermione had proof to back up her story.**

Lily smiled sadly. “I just want to talk to him.”

**“Please?” Lily whispered.**

**Hermione sighed, glancing back at Harry. “Alright.**

“Thank you.” Lily whispered.

**But let me lay the groundwork first.” At Lily’s nod, she returned to where Harry was sitting. “Sorry about that.”**

**“Who was it?” Harry asked immediately.**

**Hermione hesitated, steeling herself, both for what she was about to say and Harry’s possible reaction. “Would you believe your mother?”**

“Blunt.” Draco commented.

Hermione shrugged. “What would you have said?”

“Good point.” Draco conceded.

**Harry’s expression of concern didn’t change, but he did give her a hard glance. “That’s not funny.”**

**“I’m not kidding.” Hermione responded flatly. “She … er … She wants to talk to you.”**

“I was tempted to run for the hospital wing,” Harry said, “however much I wanted to avoid it.”

**At Hermione’s nod, Lily stepped forwards, as though she was planning to walk right through Hermione, but stopped and vanished.**

**For a moment, Hermione didn’t think anything had happened, but Harry’s jaw dropped. “Hermione, your eyes …” he whispered. “They’re the same colour as mine …”**

**Before Hermione could ask, her mouth began to move of its own accord, but it was Lily’s voice that escaped her lips, soft and soothing.**

“Forget time travel.” Hermione said. “ _This_ is the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

**“Harry, Hermione’s telling the truth … It really is me, sweetheart …”**

**“Mum …?” Harry shook his head slowly. “You have _no_ idea how weird this is.”**

**Hermione felt herself smile. “It’s going to be weird, pumpkin; I’m inhabiting your best friend’s body at the moment.”**

Jen shook her head in disbelief. “Said so casually.”

**Her hand reached out without her volition and touched his face. “We’re so proud of you, Harry. Your dad and I … we love you so much …”**

“We do.” Lily murmured into his hair.

**A sharp pain stabbed through her head …**

_Addie_ pulled a face. “Occlumency?” She asked over the panicked gasps.

Hermione nodded. “Apparently it didn’t take too kindly to the situation.”

**… and Hermione grimaced, suddenly regaining control of her body as Lily reappeared beside her.**

**Harry blinked at the sudden change in her eyes. “What …?”**

**“Mrs Potter, what just happened?” Hermione asked, slightly shakily.**

**“Lily, dear.” She corrected, eyeing Hermione speculatively. “You’re a natural Occlumens …**

“That’s how you found out.” Lily murmured.

**… even though you let me in, your subconscious was pushing me out.”  
“Oh, sorry.” Hermione sighed. “Sorry, Harry, apparently, I’m a natural Occlumens and accidentally knocked her out of my head.”**

Sirius pulled a face. “This is going to be a long conversation, isn’t it?”

Hermione chuckled. “I only repeat myself a few times. Then I came up with a better idea.”

**“It’s okay, Hermione.” Harry said with a smile. “I guessed you didn’t do it on purpose. Er … what’s an Occlumens?”**

**“Occlumency is the art of magically defending the mind against external penetration, sealing it against magical intrusion and influence.” Lily answered. “It’s the defensive counter to Legilimency, which is the ability to extract emotions, memories and thoughts from another person’s mind. Someone who practices Occlumency is known as an Occlumens and someone who practices Legilimency is known as a Legilimens. They’re very advanced branches of magic, which usually take years to master.”**

Addie chuckled. “So that’s where my copy of _Improving Mind Magics_ disappeared to. You ingested it.”

**Hermione’s eyebrows rose into her hairline. “Wow …” she murmured.**

**“What’s an Occlumens?” Harry repeated.**

**Hermione chuckled. “Sorry, Harry. Basically …” She repeated what Lily had told her, word for word, just to make sure she didn’t miss anything.**

**Harry smirked. “No one told me I was best friends with my mother.”**

“One quote and he already sees how similar you are.” James smirked.

“There are worse people to be like.” Hermione said in a dignified way.

**Hermione swatted his arm good-naturedly. “Oh, shut up. So what does it mean that I’m a ‘natural’ Occlumens?”**

**“It means that you don’t need to learn it.” Lily explained. “Legilimency and Occlumency won’t work against you; it’s a gift that very few people are born with, only those who won’t abuse it, and even then, it’s rare.”**

**“So, does that mean what we just tried will never work?” Hermione questioned, glancing at Harry.**

“I hope not.” Lily whispered.

“It might eventually.” Addie offered. “Just when Hermione has control of it.”

**Lily looked thoughtful. “I don’t know. Possibly eventually … you do still need to work to control it. That should give you better access to your long-term memory as well. One of my best friends was a natural Legilimens as well …**

_Sirius_ glanced at _Addie_ , realising that she’d be in the conversation that was about to arise.

**… try looking for _Improving Mind Magics_ in the library … I don’t think it’s in the restricted section.”**

“It’s not.” Addie confirmed.

“I have it now.” Hermione smiled.

**Hermione rummaged in her bag for some parchment and a quill. “And that will help?”  
“The exercises will.” Lily assured her. “At least they should.”**

**Hermione jotted down the name of the book, and then paused, gazing at her quill. “You know, this conversation would be easier if Harry could hear you.”**

“How are you going to manage that?” Arabella asked, but received no answer.

**Lily raised an eyebrow. “But Harry’s not an empath. And we’ve just established that I can’t borrow your voice.”**

**Hermione just stared at the quill. “Or see you.”**

Jen smiled. “Oh, I think I might know.”

“What?” Remus prompted.

Jen shook her head. “No, I might be wrong.”

**“Again, Hermione, Harry’s not an empath.” Lily groaned. “Uh oh.”**

“What?” James asked with a frown. **  
Now Hermione looked at her. “What?”**

**“You’ve got a glint in your eye …” Lily sighed. “And that glint reminds me too much of Padfoot for me to be altogether comfortable with it.”**

Hermione smiled. “That makes much more sense now than it did then.” **  
“Okay …” Hermione decided to just ignore that. “Do you know the Dicta-Charm?”**

Jen nodded. “I thought so.”

“Good idea.” David remarked.

**“The what?” Harry asked blankly …**

Hermione sighed. “Read, Harry.”

**… as Lily made a soft noise of understanding.**

**“And that’s why I was asking your mum.” Hermione teased.**

**Lily laughed. “Good idea, Hermione. The incantation is _Dicteria_ and the wand movement is a sharp, anti-clockwise, quarter-twist.”**

**Hermione aimed her wand at the quill and followed Lily’s instructions. “ _Dicteria_.” The quill twitched slightly …**

“Impressive.” Regulus commented. “Most people would need to practice it.”

“Hermione’s pretty good at Charms.” Harry told him, when the girl in question just blushed.

**… and she loaded it with ink, setting it point down on the parchment. “This is Hermione Granger, on October 31 st 1995.”**

**As she spoke, the quill skated across the parchment, transcribing her words.**

“That’s all very well,” Draco frowned, “but would it still work on spirits?”

“Since Hermione was the one who cast the charm, it should do.” Narcissa told him.

**“Excellent.” Hermione tore away the top of the parchment and repositioned the quill. “Will it work on you, Lily?”**

**“You cast the spell so I don’t see why not.” Lily answered. “My name is Lily Potter …**

Lily smiled.

**… Harry, you’ll have to give it your name as well.”**

**Harry’s eyes widened as he glanced at the parchment, where the words _Lily Potter: You cast the spell so I don’t see why not. My name is Lily Potter – Harry, you’ll have to give it your name as well._**

“Was it my handwriting?” Lily asked curiously. “I’ve never seen a Dicta-Quill work before.”

“No, it tends to write in the hand of whoever charmed it.” _Sirius_ told her.

**“My name is Harry Potter, and this may be the most amazing thing that ever happened to me.”**

**Hermione smiled as the quill danced across the parchment, noting down Harry’s name and words as well. “Very good. Now first question, Lily, where are you?”**

“It was the only question, really.” Harry pointed out. “It just turned into a conversation after that.” **  
“We’re not sure of the exact location.” Lily began heavily. “We know that it’s an island, but it’s small – very small. Big enough to house a tower and a house, as well as a crowd of Death Eaters, but not much else.”**

There was a sharp intake of breath, but no one said anything.”

**Harry stiffened as the words appeared. “Mum, are you …?”**

**“I’m fine, dear.” Lily assured him. “We both are. We haven’t seen the Death Eaters ourselves, but Addie and Leona say they were there just before we arrived.**

Addie closed her eyes and automatically sought Sirius’s hand. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him as he, and the others, looked to _Addie_ for clarification.

“I told you,” she said softly, “it was never that bad. There was the odd curse Reggie couldn’t stop, but …”

“But you were there for several months after I died and these two turned up.” Regulus finished. “What about then?”

 _Addie_ flinched. “Yeah, that wasn’t fun.” She gave them a weak smile. “But I’m here, aren’t I?”

**They haven’t been back since that Halloween.”**

**“Addie and Leona?” Hermione repeated. The second name was unfamiliar, but she could have sworn she’d heard the first name before, even though she didn’t know anyone by that name.**

“I’d read about it.” Hermione said.

“No, it might have been the Memory Charm again.” _Sirius_ told her. “I used to talk to you about her … or talk to her around you.”

“Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, Padfoot.” _Addie_ teased, without any real heat.

“Didn’t you declare me mad years ago?” _Sirius_ reminded her.

“Oh yeah.” _Addie_ remembered. “Never mind.”

**“They were two of our year-mates.” Lily explained. “Addison and Leona McKinnon – they’re twins, as different in personality as they are alike in appearance. We thought that they’d both been killed in March 1979.”  
“The McKinnon Massacre.” Hermione murmured.**

Addie flinched against Sirius and he rubbed her back.

“Was it really that bad?” Alice asked softly.

 _Addie_ sighed. “Six generations, three countries, two hours. Leona and I were the only survivors. Yes, it was really that bad.”

**That would explain where she’d heard the name before.**

**“The what?” Harry asked.**

**Hermione smiled sadly. “I read about it in _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_. The McKinnons were a big pureblood family – it was the first attack on purebloods.”**

**“He hadn’t killed purebloods before?” Harry frowned.**

“Not directly.” David answered with a frown.

**“Oh, he had.” James said darkly.**

**“James, the quill.” Lily reminded him in a soft voice.**

**“Right. My name is James Potter.” James directed at the quill. “Hi, Harry. Yes, Voldemort had killed purebloods before, but only when they were in the way or collateral damage. The McKinnons were the first _real_ attack. They were wiped out in under a day.”**

“I still don’t know _why_.” Harry frowned. “I mean, what made him pick them?”

 _Sirius_ closed his eyes. “Oh, Merlin … it wasn’t …”

 _Addie_ rolled her eyes. “Padfoot, as much as your family hate you, the whole world does not revolve around that. Mum and Dad were members of the Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort decided to start taking them out.”

“One by one.” _Sirius_ muttered darkly. **  
Harry muttered a curse under his breath and Hermione nudged him. “Language, Harry.” She frowned. “Wait a second … I thought that one of the girls was seen in an Inferi army later on.”**

 _Addie_ glanced at _Sirius_ ’s pale face and leaned against him, squeezing his hand, her weight anchoring him to reality.

**“Addie was.” Lily nodded, with a heavy sigh.**

**“What’s an Inferi?” Harry asked quietly.**

**Hermione swallowed, feeling slightly sick. “An Inferius, Harry, is a dead body enchanted to do a Dark Wizard’s bidding.”**

“How did you even know that?” David asked.

Hermione grimaced. “Curse of being a bookworm.”

**Harry shuddered. “Oh Merlin …”**

“I don’t think there’s any other reaction.” Regulus muttered.

**“Exactly.” Lily closed her eyes and James put an arm around her shoulders. “Voldemort created a pseudo-Killing Curse, so called because the incantation is the same, but it separates the spirit from the body and soul and solidifies it. That doesn’t cause any harm to the person as a whole and they’re sent to the island that we’re on, but there’s what appears to be a body.”**

“That’s what you were telling us about earlier.” Mandy commented.

**“It was usually used when Voldemort wanted information from someone.” James added. “After all, the Ministry isn’t going to search for someone who’s dead.”**

“Apparently, they were being paranoid.” Sirius said with a scowl. “Since you two were never found and no one’s searching for you.”

**“Apparently it wasn’t needed.” Hermione scowled. “I notice that no one’s searching for you two.”**

There were a few chuckles at yet another coincidence.

**“That’s because no one bothered investigating.” Lily sighed. “They all ‘knew’ we were dead.”**

**Hermione huffed. “Honestly!”**

**Harry was reading the parchment over again. “Wait a second … Addie wouldn’t be Shadow, would she?”**

“How did you know I wasn’t Shadow?” Jen asked.

“We hadn’t been told about you yet.” Harry answered. “Like Hermione said, it didn’t seem to fit Mandy or Arabella, and Addie was the only other name we had.”

**Lily chuckled. “Yes, Harry, we called her Shadow.”**

**“Did Arabella and Mandy have Marauder names?” Hermione asked.**

**“Arabella was Bastet, Mandy was Talon.” James answered.**

**“Where’d the names come from?” Harry questioned eagerly. “Mum’s, I get. It was because of your eyes, right?”**

**Lily laughed. “Exactly. Our names came from the same place the boys’ did. We were all Animagi.”  
Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Well, they certainly kept _that_ quiet last June. Were you there?”**

“Please say no.” James murmured. “I really don’t want to watch that.”

**“We were.” James confirmed. “You need more ink, Hermione.”**

“And you’re avoiding the subject.” Lily added.

“Can you blame me?” James retorted.

**Hermione glanced at the page and reloaded the quill. “Thank you. I bet that was difficult. Last June, I mean.”**

**James closed his eyes, but not before she saw the pain that shot across his face. “We already knew, Hermione. Well, we knew that Peter had betrayed us, but …”**

**“We thought that Sirius had killed him.” Lily finished.**

“Thanks.” Sirius rolled his eyes.

“They followed Harry.” Hermione explained. “So they never saw what happened, just that you’d been arrested. They thought what Arabella did – that you killed Peter and overcharged the spell.”

**“At least until Harry got to Hogwarts and met Ron and we saw Scabbers and … that was the hardest part. Knowing that our son was in the same room as that … that …”**

**“Scumbag?” Hermione supplied.**

**Lily smiled wryly. “I was thinking something worse …**

“We’ve corrupted her!” Sirius cheered.

“ _Jen_ corrupted me.” Lily corrected.

**… but that’ll do.”**

**“Did you hear the prophecy?” Harry whispered.**

**“We heard it.” Lily answered. “And we heard your little guilt-trip in Moony’s office as well.”**

**“Whatever happens next, Harry, it is _not_ your fault.” James said forcefully. “Whatever happens next, I am _so_ incredibly proud of you for how you acted in the Shack.”**

James nodded in agreement, squeezing Harry’s shoulder.

**Somehow the quill managed to portray at least some of the emotion in James’s voice and Hermione looked out across the lake to give Harry time to gather his composure.**

**“Hermione?” He asked after a few minutes. “How are we going to tell Sirius? We can’t tell him something like this in a letter.”**

“Thank Merlin.” _Sirius_ murmured.

**“No, you can’t.” Lily agreed. “Wait until you see him in person. And when you do, Hermione, show him this. He and Addie were dating when she was attacked – if she knew I was doing this, she’d never forgive me if I didn’t find some way of telling him that she still loves him.”**

“No, I wouldn’t.” _Addie_ agreed, unruffled by the faces that turned to her. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

“Of course.” _Sirius_ tugged her hair lightly. “I did promise.”

“Promise what?” Alice asked curiously.

 _Addie_ smiled slightly. “The last thing I did before I disappeared was get him to promise me that he’d never forget that I love him no matter what.”

The matter-of-fact tone of her voice made several people smile, but Sirius was focussing on something else. “So in Azkaban … was that a good memory or a bad one?”

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “Both. The Dementors made me relive it because losing her was … is one of the worst things that’s ever happened to me, But I also heard that over and over again, which was one of the reasons I kept my mind in there.”

“Well, I wasn’t thinking of Dementors when I said it,” _Addie_ remarked, “but at least it had that effect.” Her voice was still casual, but the mention of Dementors had caused her to shift closer to _Sirius_ with a shiver.

**“Do you know what’s happening with You-Know-Who?” Hermione asked, feeling a bit guilty for sweeping Sirius aside like that, but needing to ask.**

**“As much as we’d love to go spy,” James sighed, “he’s an empath too – that’s how he created the pseudo-Killing Curse in the first place. Since we don’t really want to draw attention to our continued existence …”**

“For Merlin’s sake, stay where you are.” David said hastily.

**“I wouldn’t ask you to.” Hermione said hastily. “Did you … Did you happen to see where Wormtail went last June?”**

**Lily smiled wryly. “No. We were more worried about you lot, to be honest. Especially with all those Dementors …”**

_Addie_ shuddered, burying her face in _Sirius_ ’s shoulder.

**She shuddered, and Hermione felt a pang of sympathy for couple, for everything they had watched Harry go through, helpless to intervene.**

“And there you go, pulling down the mood again.” Ginny announced.

**_And they still don’t even really know he’s alive._ **

**Hermione cast around for some way to change the subject, desperate for some way to distract Lily from the memory. “What was your Animagus form, Lily?”**

“Subtle.” Mandy said sarcastically.

**James chuckled weakly. “That was about as subtle as a …”  
“Train wreck.” Lily finished, wiping her eyes. “But thank you. I was a doe …” she exchanged a smile with her husband “… reddish-brown in colour, but still with green eyes. That’s why they called me Jade. Arabella was a cat …”**

**“That doesn’t surprise me.” Hermione smiled, as Harry nodded in agreement. “And you called her Bastet because of the Egyptian goddess, right?”**

“Someone knows her mythology.” Arabella said with a smile.

**“Right in one.” Lily nodded. “As for Mandy, her form was a falcon, so her nick-name speaks for itself.”  
“And Addie?” Harry asked. “What could she turn into?”**

**“Well, you’ve seen Sirius’s Animagus form, right?” James smirked. “It’s that, but blonde.”**

**Hermione and Harry exchanged a slightly confused glance. “So … why Shadow?” Hermione queried.**

**“Because she had the ability to blend into them.” Lily answered. “Alice came up with it. Neville’s mum.” She explained, seeing their questioning expressions. “Now not that we wouldn’t _love_ to stand here and chat all day, don’t you too have work to do?”**

“Hey!” Jen protested. “What about me?”

“Weren’t ready to talk about it.” Hermione answered.

**Hermione glanced at her watch and jumped. “Harry! It’s nearly lunch-time and we haven’t done our potions homework yet!”**

“Because that’s the sort of thing that gets you raring to go.” Fred said, rolling his eyes.

**“Mum …?” Harry asked pleadingly.**

**Lily laughed. “Sorry, sweetheart, you do need to do that homework. I promise I’ll have a word with Snape when we get back though.”**

“Damn right I will.” Lily muttered.

**Hermione reached for the quill. “Can I stop this now?”  
“Not yet.” James told her seriously. “Sirius Black, if you don’t stop blaming yourself for what happened, so help me Merlin, I will find a way to hex you into the next century, even if I have to do it from here.”**

James smirked. “I’m holding myself to that.” **  
“He means that in the nicest way, Padfoot.” Lily said sweetly. “But I’ll be joining him.”**

“Thank you.” _Addie_ breathed. “Someone needs to get rid of the guilt-trip.”

**The Halloween feast that evening mirrored dinner the night before in that, when the plates cleared, the tension in the Hall could be cut with a knife.**

James leaned forwards. “This is the champion selection, right?”

**When Dumbledore got to his feet, the sound in the Hall died away and was replaced with a silence that seemed to echo off the walls. “Well, the Goblet is almost ready to make its decision. I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions’ names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table and go through into the next chamber, where they will be receiving their first instructions.” With a wave of his wand, the Hall was plunged into semi-darkness, the only light the blue-white flames dancing in the Goblet of Fire, almost painful to look at.**

“Dramatic.” Mandy whispered, her eyes dancing.

“I think he did that on purpose.” Harry remarked.

“I _know_ he did that on purpose.” Draco retorted.

**Hermione closed her eyes and whispered a prayer under breath …**

“Still don’t know who to.” Hermione muttered.

**… hoping with every fibre of her being that everything would go well.**

**“Any second.” Lee Jordan whispered from a few seats behind her; Hermione’s eyes snapped open just as the flames inside the Goblet turned red and began emitting sparks. Then the whole room gasped as a tongue of flame shot into the air and discharged a slip of parchment.**

“That’s quite cool.” Sirius remarked.

**Dumbledore caught it and held it into the light. “The champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum.”**

Regulus shrugged. “Eh, we all saw that one coming.” **  
“No surprise there!” Ron shouted over the applause.**

**“Bravo, Viktor!” Karkaroff boomed as his student disappeared into the next chamber. “Knew you had it in you!”**

Jen rolled her eyes. “Typical.”

**The clapping died down seconds before the Goblet turned red again. Another piece of parchment appeared.**

**“The champion for Beauxbatons,” Dumbledore read, “is Fleur Delacour.”**

Lily frowned. “We haven’t heard that name before.”

**“It’s her, Ron!” Harry commented over the noise.**

**Hermione craned her neck and saw that the girl who supposedly resembled a Veela …**

“Ah.” Lily nodded.

**… was sweeping between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. “Oh, look, they’re all disappointed.” She observed, watching several of Fleur’s school-mates burst into tears.**

Addie rolled her eyes. “Honestly.”

**Okay, so maybe disappointed was an understatement.**

“Just a bit.” Remus snickered.

**This time, the silence was filled with so much excitement that Hermione had to shut her empathy off again.**

Hermione grimaced, rubbing her head in remembrance.

**Within seconds, Dumbledore was holding the third piece of parchment.**

**“The champion for Hogwarts is Cedric Diggory.”**

“Also not surprising.” Sirius said. “Would have been nice if it was Angelina though.”

“Cedric did a good job.” Harry said, his voice slightly hoarse.

**Hermione applauded, barely hearing Ron swear behind her over the noise at the Hufflepuff table. It was about time the badgers got some glory.**

_Addie_ closed her eyes. As much as she hated Amos, she’d become quite fond of Cedric over the last month.

**It was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard, but eventually the cheering died down.**

**“Excellent! Well, we now have our three champions! I am sure I can count upon all of you to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champions on, you will contribute in a very real …”**

“A very real what?” Lily asked, when Neville paused.

**Hermione gasped along with the rest of the Hall as the Goblet turned red once more.**

“What?” Jen asked in a low voice.

**Another long flame shot up, bearing, unbelievably, a fourth piece of parchment.**

“That’s not supposed to happen.” David stated, his voice tight with worry.

**Dumbledore caught it and stared at it. Everyone in the Hall stared at Dumbledore, except Hermione who glanced across at Ginny, who seemed to be whispering, “No, no, no, no, no …” under her breath.**

Ginny blushed slightly. “You heard that?”

Hermione nodded with a smile. “I was thinking it.”

**Finally, after what seemed like an age, Dumbledore cleared his throat. “ _Harry Potter._ ”**

Lily closed her eyes, taking deep calm breaths. “Harry did not enter his name in that goblet.”

“No he didn’t.” Hermione agreed.

“And Harry is underage.”

“Yes I am.” Harry nodded.

“So therefore, the organisers pulled Harry from the incredibly dangerous competition and he spent the rest of the year on the side-lines.” Lily finished.

Harry grimaced. “Sorry, Mum. They told me it was a binding contract and that I had to compete.”

Lily groaned and grabbed him in a hug.

**For a moment when she woke up on Sunday morning, Hermione couldn’t remember why she felt so sick.**

“It was a wonderful moment.” Hermione sighed. “Pity it didn’t last.”

**Then the previous night’s events came rushing back to her.**

**The Goblet … the selections of the champions … Harry’s name …**

Lily didn’t release Harry, opting to pull him even closer instead. She knew that he offered her more comfort than she offered him, but she didn’t care.

**How could Harry be a champion? He didn’t put his name in that Goblet; he can’t have done … the look on his face …**

**Hermione groaned into her pillow. Jess’s prophecy was coming true – the Goblet of Fire had been tampered with. It was the only solution that made sense.**

“Oh Merlin no …” Jen whispered.

**“Hermione!” Lavender called through the curtains. “Are you awake?!”**

**“Well, if I wasn’t, I am now.” Hermione grumbled, sitting up. “Yeah, I’m awake.”**

**The curtains were ripped back and Lavender and Parvati, practically shaking with excitement …**

“Excitement?” Addie repeated. “Excitement?!”

“Lavender’s always had a … naïve view of the world.” Hermione said carefully.

**… appeared, almost bouncing to sit on her bed.**

**“Well?” Parvati asked impatiently, after they had stared at her for a few minutes.**

**“Well what?” Hermione asked tiredly, running a hand through her hair and wincing at the tangles she encountered.**

Hermione pulled a face.

**“Harry!” Lavender squealed. “How did he get his name in the Goblet?”**

Arabella scowled and mumbled something unsavoury under her breath.

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “He didn’t.”**

**Parvati sighed. “Hermione, his name came out, didn’t it? That must mean …”**

**“That an incredibly powerful wizard hoodwinked an incredibly powerful object into thinking there were four schools, not three.” Hermione finished, slightly coldly.**

“Of course.” David said softly. “That’s the only way it could happen. How did you come up with that?”  
Hermione shrugged. “I didn’t get to sleep for something like an hour the night before – the party from the Common Room was too loud.”

“Party?” Lily repeated dangerously.

“That kept going?” Harry asked. “I managed to escape after five minutes.”

“Party?!”

Fred looked sheepish. “We really wanted a Gryffindor champion – it didn’t occur to us until the next day that something was wrong. We weren’t thinking that far ahead.”

**“Why would Harry want to be in the tournament?”**

**“Same reason as anyone, duh.” Lavender said, rolling her eyes. “A thousand galleons and eternal glory.”**

**Hermione rolled her eyes again. “Lavender,” she began, in a tone one would usually employ with a five-year-old …**

“That’s an insult to five-year-olds.” Hermione muttered.

“Mione, be nice.” Harry smiled. “Don’t enter into a battle of wits with an unarmed person.”

**… “the Potter family is one of the wealthiest in the country.**

“In the world, actually.” James corrected.

**A thousand galleons is pocket money considering what’s he’s set to inherit when he turns seventeen, as you two have mentioned about a million times since first year.**

“Really?” Harry asked with a frown.

Hermione nodded. “Your _Witch Weekly_ ’s most eligible bachelor, did you know that?”

Harry looked horrified. “But I’m only fifteen!”

“Yeah.” Ginny agreed. “And?”

**And he’s already got eternal glory – you name me _one_ former champion.”**

**Lavender looked set to argue, but Parvati, proving that her sister didn’t get all the brains …**

“Sister?” Mandy asked.

“Parvati’s twin sister, Padma, is in Ravenclaw.” Hermione explained.

**… nudged her. “She’s right. Besides, you saw the look on his face last night.”**

**Lavender nodded, looking almost disappointed at the lack of gossip.**

“My son is in a highly dangerous competition and she’s upset because there’s nothing to gossip about?!” James asked incredulously.

Hermione sighed, feeling the need to defend her room-mate. “Like I said, Lavender’s quite naïve at times. Her heart’s in the right place; she probably didn’t even realise the danger that Harry was in.”

**“So who did put his name in? And why?”**

**“I dread to think.” Hermione muttered. “The tournament’s dangerous – there’s a reason we weren’t allowed to enter under seventeen. It’s a very good opportunity to make something look like an accident …”**

Harry snorted but said nothing. **  
She trailed off, a cold rush of dread flooding her as she imagined all the awful things that could happen. Images of Harry’s mangled and broken body flashed before her eyes …**

Lily whimpered and Hermione winced. “Sorry. Wasn’t expecting my thoughts to be broadcast for all to hear.”

**… and, unfortunately, he’d ended up in the hospital wing enough times for her to have a very extensive, very realistic bank of them.**

“Sorry.” Harry said sheepishly.

**She jumped out of bed, letting her bedclothes flutter to the floor. “Excuse me.” She changed quickly, almost sprinting from Gryffindor tower and down into the Great Hall, skidding to a halt beside the Gryffindor table, her eyes scanning the students present for any sign of messy black hair.**

**She couldn’t find any, so made her way to the red hair bent over his breakfast.**

Sirius frowned. “Surely Ron would be with Harry. I’d have stuck to Prongs like glue.”

Harry didn’t respond, but reached past his mother and grasped Hermione’s hand.

**“Morning, Ron. Where’s Harry?”**

**“How should I know?” Ron snapped.**

“Fuck it!” James cursed.

“James!” Lily chided.

“Lily, he doesn’t believe him!” James protested. “I think that actually warrants something worse!”

**Hermione took an unconscious step back, taken aback by the venom in his voice. “Who shoved a bug up your arse this morning?”**

**“Potter.” Ron growled.**

“Dammit.” Sirius snarled.

Recognising his need to move, Addie shifted away from him and he rose to his feet, pacing around the room, his body wrought with frustration.

“Why wouldn’t he support him?!” Sirius demanded. “Even if everyone else in Gryffindor believed he entered his name, they’re all on his side. Didn’t you just say they threw him a party?!”  
“Jealousy.” Addie said quietly. “It’s jealousy.”

Sirius didn’t respond, but fell silent, still pacing the room as Neville continued.

**“Since when is he ‘Potter’?” Hermione frowned. “Wait … you don’t think _he_ entered his name in this tournament, do you?”**

**Even as she spoke, her own voice echoed in her head. _Betrayal …_**

James shook his head. “I would never have thought …”

**“I knew you’d take his side!” Ron hissed.**

“Honestly, this isn’t a schoolboy squabble!” Mandy snapped. “Harry could get seriously hurt!”

**“Of course I’m taking his side!” Hermione protested. “He hasn’t done anything wrong! You, of all people, know how much Harry hates his fame! You, of all people, know how much that ‘fame’ cost him! You, of all people, know what he hears around the Dementors!”**

“No one was paying attention to us.” Hermione said before Harry could protest. “And I, at least, was keeping my voice down.”

**Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Lavender and Parvati had joined the other end of the table and were talking with a group of fifth year girls.**

**The girls in question looked quite sheepish, and Hermione could only hope that her room-mates were repeating her earlier logic. _If they are, and they manage to convince people, I will never complain about their gossiping ever again._**

“Were they?” Lily asked hopefully.

Hermione nodded. “Yes, and they managed to convince a few people, but not as many as I would have hoped.”

**“Fine!” Ron yelled. “Gang up on me, just like always!”**

“Did he live the same three years we read about?!” Sirius demanded, still pacing. “Because I don’t remember that part!”

**“Just like always?!” Hermione repeated incredulously, somehow managing to keep _her_ voice quiet. “It’s normally you two ganging up on _me_ – even when Harry knows I’m right.**

Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry about that.”  
Hermione smiled at him. “It’s fine.”

**But go ahead! Turn your back on him and act like a jealous prat instead of being the friend he needs!”**

**Fred and George were at her side in an instant, before she even registered their arrival, the latter gripping Ron’s right wrist tightly. His hand was still tight around his wand, which was aimed in her direction.**

Automatically, _Sirius_ made to stand as well, but _Addie_ didn’t let him, squeezing his hand. “Easy, love,” she murmured, “he’s not here.”

**“You were about to curse me.” Hermione whispered, her voice slightly shaky. She stepped back hastily, feeling Fred wrap an arm around her …**

_Sirius_ relaxed, giving Fred a grateful nod.

**… and guide her back out to the Entrance Hall, sending his brother a scathing look over his shoulder.**

**“Ignore him, Mya.” He murmured, sitting her down on one of the benches beside the marble staircase.**

**“He tried to curse me.” She repeated in disbelief.**

_Addie_ reached across and took her hand, her fingers contracting comfortingly.

**“I know.” Fred said soothingly, rubbing her shoulder. “He’s a prat, Mya. He’s jealous and you know it.” He hesitated for a second, before asking, “What does Harry hear around the Dementors?”**

“Bit personal, isn’t it?” Jen asked with a frown.

“We’d already guessed.” Fred confessed. “Just wanted confirmation, really.”

**Hermione hesitated. She knew she could trust the twins with that information, but was it really right for her to divulge it?**

“It’s fine, Hermione.” Harry said softly. “I trust them.”

**“We won’t tell.” George assured her, joining them with a stack of buttered toast. “Marauders’ honour.”**

Ginny smiled softly. “I don’t think Hermione needed that.” **  
Hermione didn’t need the oath …**

Ginny nodded.

**… she trusted the twins to treat the information confidentially. It was her empathy that convinced her to answer the question – they had already guessed what she would say and were simply seeking confirmation.**

Fred chuckled. “Of course you already knew.”

**“His parents.” She whispered. “The night they … That night.”  
The twins paled, so that every freckle stood out in stark relief against their skin, but the look they exchanged was one of dark significance, as they silently acknowledged the accuracy of their suspicions.**

**George handed her the toast. “Go and find Harry; take him for a walk or something.**

Lily smiled. “Thank you.”

**He doesn’t need all that in there.” He jerked his head back to the Great Hall, where people were lingering longer than was usual on a Sunday morning.**

“I wonder why.” Draco muttered sarcastically.

“Did you think he’d entered his name?” Narcissa asked curiously.

“No.” Draco answered. “But I was the only Slytherin who didn’t, that I knew of, so I had to act like I did.”

“How come you believed me?” Harry frowned.

Draco smirked. “Do you really think I wouldn’t bug you about your fame for three years and not catch on to the fact that you loathe it with every fibre of your being?”

“Yes?” Harry guessed. “Thanks, anyway.”

Draco shrugged. “No need to thank me – I didn’t exactly make it easy on you either way.”

**“Tell him we believe in him – if he says he didn’t do it …”**

**“… that’s good enough for us.” Fred finished. “And tell him we’re sorry for not really listening last night. The adrenaline got to us.”**

“Understandable.” Sirius muttered, still pacing. “Ron’s reaction, however, isn’t.”

**“I get it. I’ll tell him.” Hermione said with a smile, and she headed back up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. She had barely opened her mouth to give the Fat Lady the password, when the portrait swung open to reveal her best friend, hair messier than ever and dark circles beneath his eyes.**

“Don’t think I got a second’s sleep that night.” Harry whispered, resting his head on Lily’s shoulder.

**Pasting a smile over her concerned expression, Hermione held up the toast. “Fancy a walk?”**

**Harry’s face lit up with a relieved smile. “Thanks.”**

**Together, they hurried back downstairs and passed the Great Hall without even glancing through the doors. They slowed down once they were outside and …**

“Went straight to the lake?” Fred finished innocently.

**… like the day before, rounded the lake …**

“Of course.” Hermione smiled.

**… almost completely before they settled under a beech tree.**

James pulled a face, half a grimace, half a smile. “Ah, the memories.”

Lily gave him a dirty look, but didn’t say anything.

**Hermione handed half of the toast to Harry and let him eat in silence, pulling her own apart in her lap. She wasn’t really hungry, but, knowing Harry’s propensity to worry, forced herself to eat a few slices.**

Harry smiled slightly. “That’s funny. That’s why I was eating too.”

**They had barely been there five minutes, when James and Lily appeared out of thin air, bickering.**

“Ah, nothing new there then.” Jen said lightly.

**“How was hexing Snape into the ground a good idea?” Lily was asking incredulously.**

**“Into the air, actually.” James corrected.**

James winced. “Too casual, mate; not a good idea.”

“Prongs, you do know you’re talking to a book _and_ yourself, right?” Sirius asked, finally returning to his seat.

James shrugged. “Yeah, and my future self is an idiot, apparently.”

**“And Snivellus had it coming, you know he did.” He winced at the look she was giving him. “Still mad at me for that, huh?”**

“Just a bit.” Jen answered.

**“Yes.” Lily said, slightly icily. “Believe it or not, I am. Maybe, if you’d been a bit nicer to him, he’d be a bit nicer to our son! It’s hardly Harry’s fault your head was …”**

**“… so big you were surprised my broom could take off?” James finished, with a charming smile.**

James winced again. “You’re going to kill me for that, aren’t you?”

Lily just shook her head with a fond smile.

**Lily sighed, shaking her head. “James David Potter, you are unbelievable.”**

**Seeing the smile she was trying to hide …**

“You’re safe.” Sirius concluded, dodging a swat from Addie.

**… Hermione chuckled, making her best friend jump a little. “You’re both unbelievable.”**

**“My parents?” Harry guessed through a mouthful of toast.**

**“Who else?” Hermione responded. She caught sight of Lily’s expression and smirked, beating her to it. “And don’t talk with your mouth full.”**

“So it wasn’t my mother!” Harry said.

Hermione blushed. “Please, she was thinking it.”

**Harry swallowed his toast and gave her an incredulous look. “Tell me that was my mother speaking.”  
“It was.” Hermione assured him. “More or less.**

“See?” Hermione asked. “I did say ‘more or less’.”

**Harry, about last night …” She held up a hand as Harry began to speak. “Let me finish. I know you didn’t enter your name. Ginny knows you didn’t enter your name. The twins know you didn’t enter your name – you’ve got them to thank for the toast – and they apologise for not really listening to you last night.” She sighed heavily. “The question is: Who tampered with the Goblet?”**

**“Tampered with?” Harry asked, but there was a glint in his eye that told her he already knew what she meant.**

“Was there?” Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged. “If you knew what to look for. I just happen to be able to read you like a book.”

“Had you realised that was the only way as well?” David asked.

Harry blushed slightly. “No, Moody told everyone that it was.”

**“Like I told the girls, the Goblet of Fire is bewitched to select one champion from each of the schools.” Hermione said matter-of-factly. “So whoever entered your name must have made it think there were four schools competing instead of just three. But who?”**

“That’s the million galleon question.” Mandy said with a frown. “Who do we think?”

“Well, Voldemort is the most obvious candidate.” James said. “But who’s helping him?”

“Karkaroff?” Jen suggested.

“No.” Regulus answered firmly. “I’m almost certain it’s not him.”

David turned to him. “Explain.”  
“If we are to assume that this has something to do with Harry’s dream,” Regulus said calmly, “it follows that the person who entered his name was the ‘faithful servant’ the Dark Lord mentioned. Karkaroff must have talked his way out of Azkaban somehow, so he wouldn’t be classed as a faithful servant.”  
“Yes, but who would?” Lily asked. “Weren’t you saying earlier that the only way he would consider someone a faithful servant was if they’d been in Azkaban rather than renounce him? There haven’t been any other break-outs, have there?”

“Maybe the faithful servant has nothing to do with this part of the plan.” Remus said. “Maybe it’s the Imperius Curse.”

“Why do you say that?” Jen asked.

“Because the only time someone could have jinxed the Goblet and added Harry’s name was overnight.” Remus reminded her. “Hermione watched the Map all night, remember? Only Barty Crouch went anywhere near it.”

“Surely Crouch can throw off the Imperius.” Lily argued. “He is the Head of Magical Law Enforcement after all.”

“Depends how powerful the wizard is.” David frowned. “But one would hope. Didn’t you say his son’s Junior?”

Alice nodded. “Yes … Wait, could _he_ be under the Imperius?”  
“No, they’d have seen it on the …” James trailed off, pulling the Map from his pocket and tapping it. “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” His gaze swept over the parchment, finally settling on the Ravenclaw Common Room. “Bartemius Crouch.” He looked up. “No Junior. Or Senior, I’m guessing. We never thought to add that feature to the Map. It could have been him. But why him? What made Voldemort pick him as a subject for the Imperius? Why not Bagman? Sounds like he’d be susceptible.”

David smiled proudly at him. “You will be an outstanding auror one day, son. I’m sure if we keep reading, we’ll find out who did this.”

As James flushed at the praise, Neville cleared his throat, trying not to think of Crouch Jr. too much, and returned to the book.

**“Moody thinks someone’s trying to off me.” Harry commented casually, but he was methodically tearing the crusts off his toast as he spoke.**

**“Hermione,” Lily said quietly, “could you tell Harry that he needs to eat his crusts; they’re good for him.”**

Lily’s mouth fell open. “How am I so calm about that?” **  
Hermione smiled, hearing the feigned casualness in her voice …**

“Oh.”

“Trying to keep your sanity.” James concluded with a smile. “Something you need to do, I think.”

**… and reached out to still Harry’s hands. “Eat your crusts, Harry, they’re good for you. And Moody’s right – no student …”**

**“Have you talked to Ron this morning?” Harry interrupted, apparently not listening to her.**

“Harry …” Lily trailed off. “Never mind.”

**Hermione hesitated, unwilling to open this can of worms just yet. “Er … yes. Yes, he was in the Great Hall at breakfast.” She wasn’t going to elaborate any further unless he made her.**

“He made you, didn’t he?” Addie guessed.

Hermione nodded with a grimace.

**“Does he still think I entered myself?” Harry asked in a small voice.**

**_Damn, he’s going to make me._ ** **Hermione sighed. “Well … I don’t think so … maybe … I don’t … not really.” The obvious answer was ‘yes’ but she was reluctant to give it.**

Harry rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Hermione.”

**Harry looked up, finally meeting her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean? ‘Not really’?”**

**Hermione sighed. “Look, if he just thought it through, he’d know you didn’t enter your name – Jess saw this coming, for Merlin’s sake, and the look on your face …” She shook her head. “He’s blinded.”**

“Jealousy.” Arabella shook her head. “How can some people be so blind to the obvious?”

**“Blinded?” Harry repeated. “Blinded by what?”**

“It never occurred to me that Ron might be jealous of me.” Harry admitted. “I mean, he’s got everything I could ever dream of having.”

**“Oh, Harry, isn’t it obvious?” Hermione asked, feeling slightly exasperated. “It doesn’t take an empath to see that he’s jealous!”**

**“Jealous?” James repeated incredulously, even as Lily nodded.**

**“I thought it’d be something like that.” She said sadly.**

**“Jealous?!” Harry repeated incredulously, and Hermione bit back a smile at the similarity between father and son.**

James grinned fondly and ruffled Harry’s hair.

**“Jealous?! Of what?! He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the entire school, does he?”**

Hermione grinned. “Harry, you didn’t make a fool of yourself. Hell, given the circumstances, you did pretty damn well.”

Harry turned slightly red. “Thanks.”

Lily looked a bit green. “We’re going to read about the tasks, aren’t we? How bad were they?”

“We’re going to need some Calming Potions.” _Sirius_ commented, directing his words towards the ceiling. **  
“Look,” Hermione said, trying to be patient, which wasn’t easy, because James was loudly agreeing with Harry, and she wasn’t all that inclined to disagree with him herself.**

“Ha!” Harry smirked. “I knew you were on my side!”

Hermione sighed. “Harry, I’ve always been on your side.”

**“It’s always been you who gets the attention, you know it has.**

“But …” Lily began.

“I know!” Hermione interrupted. “It’s not his fault!” She sighed. “I swear, you’re both as bad as each other.”

**I know it’s not your fault!” She added hastily, seeing Harry open his mouth to argue.**

Lily chuckled, understanding Hermione’s muttered remark.

**“And I know you don’t like it. We know you don’t ask for it, but Ron’s got all those brothers and they all have something that makes them stand out and Ginny’s the only girl and he’s got them to compete against at home, and you’re his best friend and you’re really famous – he’s always shunted to one side when people see you and he puts up with it and never mentions it. This is just one time too many.”**

Fred sighed. “How did it get so bad?”

“You and George constantly teasing him?” Hermione guessed.

Fred rolled his eyes. “Like we tease Ginny, Percy, Charlie and Bill? We don’t target Ron any more or less.”

“I don’t think your mother helps.” _Sirius_ remarked.

“Bad move, Padfoot.” _Addie_ muttered as the two Weasleys turned to face him.

 _Sirius_ sighed at their expressions. “She spends most of her time comparing the three younger boys to the three older boys. And don’t give me that look – I can count at least ten instances in the last week alone. She needs to realise that she has six sons, all of whom are different and all of whom have their own unique personalities, because she’s not doing any of you any favours.”

**“Great.” Harry said bitterly. “Really great. Tell him from me I’ll swap any time he wants.**

Lily sighed. “Harry, I’m angry at him too. But acting like a child isn’t going to help.”  
“I know.” Harry said sheepishly. “Made me feel better though.”

**Tell him he’s welcome to it … people gawping at my forehead everywhere I go …”**

**“I’m not telling him anything.” Hermione told him flatly. “I’m not a bloody owl.**

Fred peered at her. “Aren’t you? I was wondering where your feathers were.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Fred.”

**Tell him yourself; it’s the only way to fix this.”**

**“I’m not running around trying to make him grow up!” Harry snapped, causing an owl in a nearby tree to take off in alarm.**

**“Well, neither am I!” Hermione said sharply. “I’ve seen this coming for a while; it had to happen sooner or later.**

Hermione pulled a face. “I didn’t mean that to sound so unsympathetic.”

**Besides, he nearly cursed me this morning.”**

“Bad idea.” Hermione muttered.

**Belatedly, as Lily let out a shocked gasp, she realised that she shouldn’t have told him that.**

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

**“He did what?” Harry asked in a low whisper. His eyes seemed to glow with fury and she almost flinched at the wave of anger that rolled towards her …**

Harry whitened. “Hermione …”

“Keep going, Nev.” Hermione said softly.

**… it was only the knowledge that it wasn’t aimed at her that stopped her.**

Harry let out a shaky breath. “Thank Merlin … I don’t like the idea of scaring you, Mione.”  
Hermione smiled. “You didn’t scare me, Harry. You’re just quite scary when you’re that angry.”  
“Get that from your father.” Lily murmured, giving her boyfriend a fond smile. “He doesn’t lose it often, but when he does …”

James reddened. He’d only really lost it like that twice – once earlier that year after the ‘Willow Incident’ and once in fourth year, after overhearing a group of Slytherins planning to attack a Muggle-born. That was always going to piss him off; the fact that the student in question was Lily meant that Sirius and Remus had to physically hold him down.

**“I swear …”**

**“Harry, _no_!” Hermione grabbed his arm as he threatened to get to his feet. “Come on, you know he never thinks before he acts …**

“That’s no excuse, Hermione.” _Sirius_ said darkly. “ _I_ never think before I act, but I can’t think of any occasion when I’ve raised my wand against one of the girls.”

“You turned my hair blue in fifth year.” _Addie_ reminded him.

 _Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “That’s hardly the same thing, Ads. I’ve never _hurt_ you.”

“No, you haven’t.” _Addie_ agreed softly.

 **… I can handle this myself!”**  
Harry narrowed his eyes at her. “On one condition.”  
“Anything.” Hermione was quick to agree – Harry was the only person whose emotions she couldn’t read without searching for them. Even when his name came from the Goblet, surprise only flared in the air for a second before it was gone and buried.

**“If he ever, and I mean _ever_ , does or says anything to hurt you in any way, shape or form _ever_ again, you’ll tell me immediately and let _me_ handle it.” Harry stated.**

“Think you covered all the exits there, Harry?” Fred joked weakly.

“Think so.” Harry responded casually. “I mean it, Hermione.”

**Hermione was taken aback by the coldness in his voice. Concerned, she tested the air, but found nothing – now the shock had worn off, his previous anger was buried once again, with his other emotions, deep below the surface.**

**_Thank Merlin he’s easy to read._ **

Harry sighed. “Is it really _that_ easy?”

“Like opening a book.” Hermione repeated.

**“Okay, Harry, I promise.”**

**Harry sighed and his whole body seemed to relax at once. “Thanks, Hermione. You’re my best friend; I can’t just stand back and let him …” He sighed again. “And yes, I know you can take care of yourself …”**

**Hermione bit back her protest. _Since when can he read minds?_**

Harry chuckled. “It’s a two-way street, you know, Hermione. I can read you like a book too.”

**_Maybe we’ve just known each other too long._ **

**“… but humour me, okay?” Harry stared out at the lake for a few minutes. “Maybe he’ll believe I’m not enjoying myself when I’ve got my neck broken or …”**

Lily closed her eyes. “Harry, please, please don’t joke about that.”

**Lily moaned quietly and hid her face in James’s chest. Hermione didn’t blame her – she had the sudden urge to reach out and do the same thing.**

“I’m not solid, Hermione.” James reminded her lightly.

Hermione smiled weakly. “I meant to Harry.”

Squeezing Lily’s hand, Harry left her to James and pulled Hermione into his arms, tucking her under his chin. “Better?”

Hermione nodded into his chest. “Much.”

**“That’s not funny.” She said quietly, her voice shaking. “That’s not funny at all.” She looked back at James and Lily, wishing that she could sort out whatever was happening in her head so that they could comfort Harry themselves …**

“I’m still there!” Sirius said, waving his arms. “Write to me!”  
Addie caught his arm and pulled it down again. “You’re an idiot sometimes.” She murmured affectionately.

**… but there was always … “You know what you need to do, don’t you? The moment we get up to the castle?”**

**“Yes.” Harry answered grimly. “Give Ron a good kick up the …”**

**“Write to Sirius!”**

James, Sirius and Remus sniggered, and Addie tried to keep a straight face. “At least one of you has your priorities sorted.”

“You’re welcome.” Hermione smiled.

“I was talking about Harry.” She told her, smirking at the suddenly indignant expression on Sirius’s face.

**Hermione cut him off hastily. “You’ve got to tell him what happened. He asked you to keep him posted on everything that happened at Hogwarts, remember? It’s almost like he expected something like this to happen.**

“Did you?” David asked.

 _Sirius_ sighed. “Did I expect Harry to be entered as a fourth champion in the Tournament? No. Did I expect something to go wrong? Yes.”

**I’ve got my bag with me; there’s parchment and a quill in there …”  
Harry rolled his eyes. “Hermione, he came back into the country because I told him my scar hurt; if I tell him I’ve somehow been entered into the Triwizard Tournament, he’s going to come bursting into the bloody castle!”**

“Harry James, stop being so damn noble and write to him!” Lily snapped.

**“Harry James Sirius Potter, write to your godfather!” Lily chided sharply.**

There were a few snorts of laughter at how little Lily had changed.

**James winced. “I’d pass that message on as soon as possible, Hermione. When she uses both middle names, she means business.”**

“Until then, I didn’t know Harry _had_ two middle names.” Hermione remarked.

**“I didn’t know you had two middle names.” Hermione commented, half to Harry, half to Lily.**

“Hermione, stop repeating yourself!” Fred smirked.

**“I do?” Harry asked, sounding surprised.**

**Lily let out a growl that sounded like it should have come from Padfoot. “My damn sister …”**

Lily’s face darkened at the reminder.

**“She’ll get hers, Lily.” Hermione said darkly.**

**“So my middle name isn’t James?” Harry asked.**

**“One of them is.” Hermione assured him. “The other one’s Sirius, apparently.”  
Harry’s face lit up in a smile. “Really?”**

**“Well, it wasn’t.” Lily admitted. “It _was_ just Harry James, but _someone_ managed to slip it on to the birth certificate without asking me.”**

Lily turned to James who smiled weakly. “Hasn’t happened yet, Lils.”

**James shrugged, looking thoroughly unrepentant. “I did promise.”**

“When was that?” James asked.

“Death Eater raid.” _Sirius_ answered. “Not long after you and Lily married. We’d both lost our wands and you went over this balcony. Took the Death Eater with you, of course. The others were in another part of the house and, without a wand, all I could do was hang on to you until help arrived; couldn’t pull you up by myself.”

“How long?” James asked hoarsely.

 _Sirius_ pulled a face. “Can’t remember. I just remember us talking about all the things we’d do when we both got out of there. And then you said …”

_“Padfoot, I’m not getting out of here.”_

_“What are you talking about Prongs? Moody’ll be along in a minute. Course he’ll probably kill us for losing our wands, so maybe we won’t get out of here.”_

_“Pads … you need to let go.”_

_“James, I’m not letting go. If I let go …”_

_“If you don’t, then the next Death Eater that comes through that door is going to murder both of us.”_

_“Don’t be an idiot, Prongs. You really think I’m going to just let you die to save myself? Besides, Lily would murder me if I came home without you.”_

_“True. True … Hey Padfoot?”_

_“Yeah Prongs?”_

_“Just for this, I’m naming my firstborn child after you.”_

_“I was hoping for something more along the lines of selling me your soul, but that’ll do. Wait a second, what if it’s a girl?”_

_“What about if it’s a girl?”_

_“You can’t call a girl Sirius – it’s a boy’s name.”  
“Worked on you, didn’t it?”_

As he finished the story, several people sniggered. _Addie_ shook her head. “Honestly. His life’s in your hands and he’s still making fun of you!”

“That’s what I said!” _Sirius_ agreed. “Either way, another auror arrived minutes later and we pulled him to safety. Moody yelled at us for hours on end for losing our wands. And Lily never found out what happened. Or if she did, I didn’t tell her.”

“Go on, Neville.” James said quietly, his voice slightly choked. He knew that Sirius would never just leave him to die, and he’d have done the same thing in a heartbeat. But hearing about it … **  
Hermione chuckled and turned back to Harry. “I’ll explain later, Harry. Now write to your godfather – your mother used both middle names. Besides, he’s going to find out anyway.”**

**Distracted from the name issue, Harry frowned. “How?”**

Fred groaned, Ginny shook her head and Draco just laughed. “You are really naïve sometimes.”  
Harry rolled his eyes. “Give me a break, it was early.” **  
Hermione groaned and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Think, Harry!” She held up her left hand. “First Triwizard Tournament in over a century.” She held up her right hand. “Boy-Who-Lived somehow participating.” She brought her hands together. “Front page of the _Daily Prophet_.**

Harry groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

**It’ll be all over the Wizarding World in days, if it isn’t already.” Dropping her hands to her sides, she met his eyes openly. “He’d rather hear it from you, Harry.”**

“I would.” _Sirius_ said, smiling at Harry, who was still holding Hermione.

**Harry sighed. “Why is it that you always know just what to say to convince me to do something?”**

“She’s your best friend?” Arabella answered, giving her dorm-mates a fond smile.

**Hermione smirked. “I’m your best friend, Harry. I can read you like a book – and that’s without my empathy.”**

**Harry stood up and threw the last slice of toast to the Giant Squid. “Okay, I’ll write.”**

Lily nodded with a smile. “Good boy.”

**Grinning, he extended an arm to her. “May I escort you to the library, my lady?”**

**Hermione fought back a laugh and took on a haughty air. “You may, good sir.” As they both fell into giggles …**

“I wasn’t giggling.” Harry insisted. “I was _chuckling_ – there’s a difference.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, pulling away from him. “Sure there is.”

**… she looped her arm through his and they set off back into the castle. And, for the first time in a long time, Hermione felt that they could survive whatever was coming.**

“I can’t work out if that’s optimistic or not.” Lily sighed.

“She said survive, didn’t she?” James pointed out. “They’ll be fine.”

“Is that the end of the chapter, Neville?” Arabella asked.


	19. Chapter Seventeen - Comfort in the Common Room

Neville nodded, handing her the book. “Are you reading next?”  
“Think so.” Arabella frowned in thought. “Anyone remember the reading order?”  
James shrugged. “Just go ahead, Arabella.”

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Comfort in the Common Room**

Lily smiled. “That sounds like a nice chapter.”

Arabella glanced at the next line. “Yep, you’re going to like this one.”

**Miss Jessica Brown …**

Lily brightened and sat forwards. “It’s about time”

**… of Number Six Privet Drive, was proud to say she was perfectly abnormal, thank you very much. She had as much to do with anything strange or peculiar as she possibly could, because the Dursleys, who lived next door, just couldn’t stand that sort of thing.**

Arabella paused. “I’ve read that before.”

“Yeah, you have.” Hermione agreed. “That’s the opposite of how the Dursleys were introduced in the first book.”

**One cold November morning, Jessica was hanging out her washing, resolutely ignoring Mrs Dursley as she chattered away about her son.**

“Oh, Petunia …” Lily sighed.

**“… and I do worry about him so, I really don’t like the sound of that school food – and did I tell you they told us to put him on a diet!”**

**“Good.” Jessica responded, shaking out a pair of jeans. “I was starting to worry you’d have to rush him to hospital for a heart bypass.”**

Harry’s mouth fell open. “She’s normally quite polite to them.”

“In front of you.” Hermione reminded him. “Besides there’s probably only so much of them she can take.” **  
Mrs Dursley seemed to swell with indignation. “My Dudders is a perfectly healthy _normal_ child!”**

Lily snorted. “‘Normal’.”

**Jessica rolled her eyes. “If you say so, Mrs Dursley.”**

“She doesn’t use her first name?” Lily asked.

“Jess doesn’t like Aunt Petunia at all.” Harry explained. “One of the things she hates is how Aunt Petunia talks to her like she’s a child, so she always calls her ‘Mrs Dursley’ in the hopes that she’ll catch on and stop acting so familiar.”

**Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a flash of white in a nearby tree …**

“Hedwig probably.” Harry concluded, before anyone could ask.

**… and fought the urge to go and investigate. “But no child who is wider than he is tall can possibly be considered healthy. Face it, he’s a spoilt, overweight bully and you’re going to be the one dealing with the fallout.”**

The girls applauded. “Thank you!” **  
“How dare you?!” Mrs Dursley shrieked, storming back into the house.**

**Jessica allowed herself a smirk, as her neighbour on the other side poked his head over the fence. “’Bout time someone told her that.” He grunted.**

“So the neighbours do realise that they’re ridiculous?” Jen asked.

“Must do.” Harry shrugged. “They’ve never said anything to me though.”

**Jessica shrugged. “I have no patience with her anymore, quite frankly. All those lies about her nephew.”**

**He nodded in agreement, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm in the cold November air. “Where is it she says he goes?”**

Lily snorted. “Apparently they all like their gossip.”

“There’s nothing much happening in Privet Drive.” Harry explained. “So they tend to latch on to anything that might possibly be considered exciting or dramatic.” **  
“St Brutus’s Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys.” Jessica answered, her tone dripping with disgust.**

**“Not likely.” Her neighbour snorted.**

Lily beamed. “Oh thank Merlin!”

**“I’ve seen him helping you in the garden. Never met a more polite young man. Now Dudley … You seen the damage to the bus stop down the road?”**

**Jessica shook her head. “Broken glass all over the floor, spray paint over anything they couldn’t tear down.**

Lily sighed. “And this is my nephew.”

**That boy could have done with being turned over her knee.”**

**“Don’t think you could turn him over anything.” He quipped.**

The boys sniggered.

**“Makes you wonder what else they’re lying about. You know where the other boy does go?”**

Regulus grimaced. “Oh, this could be a problem …”

**“Harry?” Jessica hesitated. “Don’t know the name of it. It’s his parents’ old school apparently, his name’s been down since he was born.”**

“That won’t put him off.” Narcissa murmured.

“Yes it will.” Lily disagreed. “Because he knows nothing about us; his focus will shift.” **  
“His parents?” His interest was peaked now, and he leaned on the fence, abandoning whatever gardening task had previously held most of his attention. “The way she harped on about it when he first arrived …”**

“Harped on about it?” James repeated in bewilderment. “I thought Petunia never talked about you.”

Lily frowned. “She doesn’t. Harry?”

Harry shook his head. “No idea. I guess it’s the same rubbish she spouted to Aunt Marge.”

Lily grimaced. “Harry, dear, please stop calling her that. She’s _not_ your aunt.”

Harry nodded with a smile. “Alright, Mum.”

**“I know.” Jessica agreed, stepping closer. She never held much stock in gossip, personally, but the drivel that Petunia Dursley spread around Privet Drive when Harry first appeared was awful, even if his parents _had_ been like that.**

James and Lily exchanged a dark look and the redhead cuddled into her boyfriend, blinking back tears at the thought of what her sister was saying about her.

**Now she knew they weren’t …**

**“A friend of his parents gave him a photo album his first year.” She smiled slightly. “And I can tell you right now that that couple adored their son and each other.**

The aforementioned couple beamed.

**As for a car crash …” She sighed. “Well, I’m still not sure of all the details. From what I can gather, it was a home invasion.”**

“Good cover-up.” Jen murmured.

**“You mean they were …” He trailed off, looking horror-struck. “Oh, the poor kid.**

Harry grimaced, not like pity, but said nothing.

**Was he there?”**

**Jessica nodded, a throat tightening. “He was. You’ll have to excuse me.” She heard him respond, but the words didn’t register, as she picked up the laundry basket and hurried into the house.**

**The snowy owl in the tree would have to wait for a few minutes, at least until Mr-Next-Door had gone inside for lunch. Whatever letter she carried must have been important though, because Hedwig usually timed her arrival for after-dark, so no one in the Muggle neighbourhood would see her.**

Arabella smiled. “That really is a very clever owl.”

Harry nodded proudly.

**Once inside, Jessica allowed herself to relax, paying no attention to the few tears that fell. Over the summer, Harry had confided in her the details of that horrible night.**

**It seemed to pain her on two levels.**

“Two?” Lily asked. “Harry, obviously … but she didn’t know us.”

“Maybe she feels for your sister.” James suggested.

Lily snorted. “I think it’s obvious my _sister_ doesn’t give a damn.”

**First, of course, was her sympathy for Harry. To witness something so awful and so young and yet still emerge as the well-adjusted kind-hearted young man he was today was nothing short of amazing. But she couldn’t help but remember a time when a baby Harry had woken screaming for his parents when she first started looking after him.**

Harry turned red and Hermione slipped her hand into his, though didn’t say anything.

**This new knowledge gave the nightmares a whole new perspective.**

**Secondly, despite not knowing the woman, her heart went out to Harry’s mother.**

Lily raised an eyebrow, not sure if she was grateful or not.

**She had already had a very high opinion of the woman before Harry started Hogwarts – anyone the Dursleys considered ‘abnormal’ instantly went to the top of Jess’s ‘people to invite for dinner’ list.**

James sniggered.

**She only wished she’d had a chance to, just to see the look on the Dursleys’ faces when the Potters’ arrived in the street.**

Sirius joined in.

**She doubted they’d look like anything other than ‘normal’ Muggles, but she did so enjoy watching Mrs Dursley lose her composure and make a fool of herself.**

Finally, Lily let a smile through. “Something we have in common.”

**Harry’s story only increased her respect for Lily Potter. She didn’t want to imagine how terrifying that must have been, forced to listen as her husband was murdered and knowing that her son had just minutes left to live.**

The smile vanished instantly, and Lily closed her eyes as James pulled her on to his lap.

**_Any mother would make the same decision. But that wouldn’t make it easy._ **

“I’d do it in a heart beat.” Lily whispered.

**It had been altogether easier, Jessica decided, when she couldn’t put a name to a face. Now she couldn’t help feeling a little guilty, as though she was replacing Lily in Harry’s life.**

Lily wiped her eyes. “She shouldn’t.” She said softly. “I’m glad she was there for Harry.”

**Whenever this feeling of guilt occurred, however, it vanished as soon as she had to deal with the Dursleys again.**

**_Now if I was a mother, what would I prefer? A young woman who loves my son like I do or those people?_ **

Lily said nothing, but her answer was clear in her expression.

“I don’t think anyone in their right mind would choose the latter.” Jen murmured.

**Jessica peered out of the kitchen window and saw that her neighbour had retreated back inside the house. She opened the back door and whistled quietly, whereupon the snowy owl took off from the tree and swooped down into the kitchen, landing on the back of a chair.**

**“Hello Hedwig.” Jess greeted, glancing at the clock. “You’re early, you know.”**

“She’s taken to magic very well.” Jen remarked. “For someone who doesn’t have it, that is.”  
“She has the dreams though.” Remus reminded her. “It’s more accessible for her than for most Muggles.”

**Hedwig let out an impatient hoot and held her leg out.**

**“Alright, alright.” Jess removed the letter and Hedwig took off again, flying into the living room.**

**Earlier that summer, before Harry had gone to stay with the Weasleys, Jess had taken him to London and he, in turn, had taken her to Diagon Alley.**

**While they were there, they had purchased an owl perch …**

“We had great fun when we got back.” Harry grinned. “We had a nice conversation about the sorts of birds that might like to use it. Aunt Petunia nearly had a heart attack when we mentioned owls. We mentioned dodos beforehand,” he added, when David opened his mouth, “so only someone who knew about the wizarding world would make the connection.”

**… and it now sat in her front room, where Hedwig, she assumed, had just gone to take a nice nap.**

**Jess chuckled quietly at the rather typical Hedwig-behaviour …**

Ginny smiled. “She knows her well.”

**… and opened the letter, sitting down at the kitchen table to read it.**

**_Dear Jess_ **

**_Hermione’s making me write this, just so you know – I didn’t want to worry you._ **

Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes and swatted Harry upside the head.

**_But she guilt-tripped me into it. Plus, I can’t use Hedwig to write to Sirius because she stands out too much and she’ll get mad at me if I try to use another owl._ **

James laughed. “You wrote an extra letter just to keep Hedwig happy?”

Harry shrugged. “She’s rather good at giving me the silent treatment.”

**_Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year. It’s an ancient competition between the three main European magical schools – Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. A champion is selected from each school and they compete in three tasks, but we don’t know what yet._ **

**_The champion for Durmstrang is Victor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker. The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour. And the champion for Hogwarts is Cedric Diggory._ **

**_Thing is, Jess, my name came out as well, and now I have to compete. I still don’t know what the first task is, but I promise that I’ll be careful and I’ll write again as soon as it’s over._ **

**_Love, Harry_ **

“Well summarised.” Regulus observed.

**By the end of the letter, Jess was shaking, though she wasn’t entirely sure why she was so scared.**

“Could be another sign of the Memory Charm.” David said. “Though it’s unusual for the subconscious to push forwards so much. There must be something else.”

“Like a soul-bond.” _Sirius_ finished with a nod. “The more I think about it, the more likely it seems that Jessica could be Jen.”

“But wouldn’t Remus know?” Jen asked. “The bond would tell him, wouldn’t it?”  
 _Sirius_ frowned. “It should, but then it also should have killed him by now, just from being away from you.”

“Puts a whole new spin on the phrase ‘I can’t live without you’.” Hermione murmured. “So something’s gone wrong?”  
“Someone blocked the link.” _Sirius_ confirmed. “But that makes no sense … a Death Eater would have to know about the link … but they wouldn’t bother blocking it …”

“They couldn’t have done it anyway.” _Addie_ argued. “Because whoever it was needed to be able to make a pureblood think she was a Muggle. Means they know something about Muggles.”

“Someone who wanted Jen out of the way, but not Remus.” _Sirius_ frowned. “That sounds like …”

“It’s someone on our side.” _Addie_ finished darkly. “The only question is …”  
“Why?” _Sirius_ asked.

Arabella cleared her throat, glancing at Jen, who was very white, and Remus, who looked very angry. “If you two are done trying to figure out who attacked Selena, I’ll continue, shall I?”

**She’d never even heard of the ‘Triwizard Tournament’ before now – for all she knew the ‘tasks’ were a Quidditch game, a chess match and some form of written exam.**

“I wish.” Harry muttered.

 _Addie_ scowled. “She’s got a point.”

“Unfortunately, the tasks are traditionally more dangerous.” David sighed.

 _Addie_ shrugged. “So? Hold three tasks like that, tie them to the Tournament and have the four champions compete. Harry will have technically competed in the Tournament, and that would leave the three dangerous tasks for the _actual_ champions.”

Everyone stared at her for a few seconds, before _Sirius_ sighed and said, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Do you really want me to answer that question?” _Addie_ asked teasingly. “Any idea why they didn’t do that?”

“Because it would involve the Ministry actually doing something right for once?” Hermione guessed. “And they wanted to know who entered Harry’s name, so they thought they’d dangle him on a hook and see what took a nibble.”

“I’m not a worm, Hermione.” Harry protested.

“You’re about as scrawny as one though.” Fred put in mildly, ending the discussion.

**She doubted it though, especially looking back at the first line. _I didn’t want to worry you._**

Harry sighed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have added that part.”

**Folding the letter up, Jess made her way to her living room and stopped beside Hedwig’s perch, stroking the owl’s feathers softly.**

**“What now, Hedwig?” She asked softly.**

**Hedwig hooted softly, tucking her head under her wing.**

**Jess smiled, recognising the dismissal and wandering over to the sofa, where she collapsed with a sigh. _Now what?_**

“There’s not really anything she can do.” Addie whispered, leaning into Sirius again.

**She ran a hand through her curly blonde hair, closing her eyes. Without magic, the only thing she could do was be there when Harry needed someone.**

Lily smiled. “I’m glad that there’s someone there.”

**And, with any luck, that would be enough.**

“It was.” Harry said quietly.

**There weren’t many people Hermione could say she genuinely hated, but Rita Skeeter …**

Harry groaned, letting his head fall back against the wall.

**… was well on the way to becoming one of them.**

“Who’s Rita Skeeter?” Lily asked in puzzlement. “The name sounds familiar, but …”

“She was a Slytherin a few years above us.” _Sirius_ answered in distaste. “She became a reporter for the _Daily Prophet_.”

“‘Reporter’ is a loose term, Padfoot.” Hermione disagreed. “She takes a few facts and then twists them until she has more of a scandalous story.”

**Her article in the _Daily Prophet_ – supposedly covering the Triwizard Tournament and the ‘Weighing of the Wands’ – was nothing more than an exposé on Harry’s life …**

“What?” James asked in a low voice.

**… and not a very accurate one at that.**

“Did you give her an interview?” David asked.

Harry grimaced. “If by that you mean, did she drag me into a broom cupboard, ask me a load of questions and then completely ignore my responses, then yes.”

“And no one stopped her?!” David demanded.

Harry shrugged. “Everyone seemed okay with it, why?”

“You’re underage, and therefore she had to have a legal guardian present when interviewing you.” James explained with a scowl. “And Dumbledore should have known that.”

**Much to Harry’s annoyance, Cedric had been overlooked completely and Fleur and Victor’s names had been misspelled.**

Lily huffed. “Well, really!”

**Harry was annoyed, Hermione was furious.**

“I don’t blame you!” Jen agreed.

**Not only did it give the two visiting schools a horrible image of wizarding Britain, it gave the rest of the school even more of a reason to dislike her best friend.**

**What really grated at Hermione, though, was the part of the article that talked about Harry’s parents.**

Lily stiffened. “She didn’t.”

**Skeeter may have ‘interviewed’ Harry, but she was willing to bet anything she owned that he never said what the article said he did, if for no other reason that he was a teenage boy:**

**_“I suppose I get my strength from my parents. I know they’d be very proud of me if they could see me now … Yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them; I’m not ashamed to admit it … I know nothing in this Tournament will hurt me, because they’re watching over me …”_ **

“She did.” James closed his eyes and took deep breaths.

“I said nothing like that.” Harry insisted. “She said, “how do you think your parents would react” and I said, “I guess they’d be quite worried”.”

“Very worried.” Lily corrected.

**Hermione had read the article with mounting disbelief, hearing the sniggers erupting from all over the Great Hall.**

Lily gritted her teeth, but didn’t say anything.

**Just like second year, Dumbledore was doing nothing to squash the rumour mill, but Neville and Dean had had a very loud conversation at breakfast the next day about how they’d never seen Harry cry and that only an idiot would believe that Harry would ever say something like that.**

Alice hugged her son, kissing his forehead. “You’re a good boy.”

“Thank you, Neville.” Lily said sincerely.

Neville turned red. “It was nothing, really.”

**Even Cedric – who seemed to have recovered from the shock of being one of two Hogwarts champions – had told everyone who’d listen that Harry hadn’t talked to Skeeter for long enough to provide an interview as detailed as the one in the paper.**

“That was nice of him.” Addie commented with a smile. “Must get that from his mother.”

**Hermione could have kissed him …**

Hermione promptly turned bright red as Fred wolf-whistled across the room. “Oh, shut up!”

**… when he approached the Gryffindor table that morning, as she tossed the _Daily Prophet_ back at Lavender …**

“Tossed it?” Ginny repeated, amused. “You threw it so hard that she screamed and ducked.”

**… and loudly told Harry that he believed him about not entering his name – it was obvious from the way Harry had practically disappeared under the table that he didn’t want the attention.**

_Addie_ smiled. When she had first realised who she was sharing her accommodation with, she had been convinced that he would be just like his father, but within an hour he had proved her wrong, and she had become quite fond of the young man over the last few weeks.

**After that, the Hufflepuffs in her year hurried over in Herbology to wring his hand and apologise for not believing him before – Ernie Macmillan looked particularly guilty as he had been rather vocal about Harry in second year as well, and felt he should have known better.**

“He should.” Lily said primly. “But at least he realised that.”

**The rest of the school, however, remained convinced.**

**Someone in Slytherin – Harry blamed Malfoy …**

Draco rolled his eyes. “I’m not sure whether I’m flattered or insulted.”

**… Hermione had other suspicions – had created badges with the words “Support Cedric Diggory – the REAL Hogwarts champion”.**

James frowned. “That’s not _too_ bad.”

**When pressed, the badges – which had travelled around the school – changed to the message “Potter Stinks”.**

“And that’s why I’m insulted.” Draco decided. “Did you really think I couldn’t come up with anything better?”

“And what’s the best insulting name you’ve come up with so far?” Harry asked in response.

“Scarhead.” Ginny answered, when Draco turned slightly pink.

“So yes, that’s what I thought.” Harry smirked. “It wasn’t you then?”

“It was Nott.” Draco told him.

**Hermione had resisted her original reaction to the badges when she first saw them – knowing that Harry wouldn’t take her bursting into fits of laughter in any positive way.**

“Thanks, Hermione!” Harry said, rolling her eyes.

“And that’s why I didn’t.” Hermione smiled.

**But really, Potter Stinks?**

**She’d met five-year-olds who could come up with better insults.**

“Three-year-olds.” Draco corrected. “Nott’s not the most intelligent out there. Not with insults anyway.”

**Harry’s reaction, fuelled, she was sure, by Malfoy – problems or not, he still seemed determined to cause trouble – and both boys ended up with wands drawn.**

“Of course they did.” Lily muttered.

**Unfortunately for Hermione, their curses met in mid-air and she and Crabbe ended up in the cross-fire.**

“Sorry Hermione.” Harry and Draco said in unison.

**Trying to get to the hospital wing with front teeth that reached the floor was not easy.**

Hermione sniffed. “It was Snape that wasn’t helping.”

“What did he do?” _Sirius_ asked darkly.

“Took ten points off Gryffindor and sent Crabbe to the Hospital Wing.” Draco answered. “Then looked at Hermione and said, “I see no difference.””

“Why that …” _Sirius_ made to stand, but _Addie_ slid sideways onto his lap.

“Don’t even think about it.” She said sharply. “He’ll get his. _After_ you get back to our time.”

**On the bright side, it did give her the chance to get her teeth shrunk to a normal, and more flattering, size, something she’d been begging her mother to let her do for months to no avail.**

“And it only took Harry a month to notice.” Hermione remarked.

Harry blushed. “I’m a guy, Hermione. We don’t tend to notice things like that.”

**Far too soon, it was the Saturday before the first task, which would take place the following Tuesday. Hermione and Harry had ventured into Hogsmeade together (the latter under his Invisibility Cloak), but not before she had run into Ron and been given a very odd message – the brunt of which was that Hagrid wanted to talk to Harry that night.**

Harry snorted. “Took me about five minutes to understand it though.”

**So it was, late that evening or, more accurately, very early the next morning, that Hermione found herself curled up in an armchair, reading a Muggle fantasy novel, waiting for Harry to get back from Hagrid’s.**

**Thankfully, she had not had to resort to dropping dungbombs to clear the room, or the weight would have been much more unpleasant.**

“Why would you need the room empty?” James asked, frowning. “There is such a thing as a quiet conversation.”

“For the same reason I was waiting for Harry.” Hermione answered with a smile.

**There was, of course, a reason why Hermione waiting for Harry to get back, and that reason soon appeared in the flickering flames in the fireplace.**

“Sirius!” James, Lily and Addie said in unison, the latter with concern, the former with excitement.

**“Hermione?”**

**Hermione closed her book, alerted by the change in glow from orange to green before she heard his voice, and vacated the chair, kneeling in front of Sirius’s floating head.**

“Sirius, what were you thinking?!” _Addie_ demanded. “Where did you even get to a fireplace anyway?”

 _Sirius_ cleared his throat. “Well, the most amazing thing happened …”

“He broke into a wizarding home to use the fire.” Hermione finished.

 _Addie_ gaped at him for a few moments, before smacking his arm.

“Ow!”

“Do you have _any_ idea how dangerous that was?!” She demanded. “You could have been caught! You could have been seen!”

“They were out that evening.” _Sirius_ protested, ducking her next hit. “I’d been watching the house, to make sure it was safe. I even set up temporary wards so I was forewarned when they got back.”   

**“Evening, Sirius. Harry should be back soon, but he had to do something. Ron told me this morning that Seamus told him that Parvati told Dean that Hagrid needed to talk to him.**

“What?” Sirius asked, bewildered.

**Sirius looked bewildered. “You what?”**

“I’d laugh,” Mandy said, “but I didn’t get it either.”

**“Don’t make me say it again.” Hermione said with a groan. “He’s talking to Hagrid; he’ll be back soon. Whatever it was, Ron said, it sounded important.” She paused, contemplating whether to tell Sirius now about James and Lily.**

“No.” Sirius answered. “Not now. Not like that.”

**“Hermione?” Sirius called. “Are you alright? You spaced out for a minute.”**

**“I’m fine.” Hermione assured him with a smile. “I was just thinking about whether to tell you something …”**

**“Not now.” James whispered, his eyes fixed on the fire. “You can’t tell him like his, Hermione.”**

“Thanks, Prongs.” Sirius murmured.

**Hermione shook her head in agreement. “No, it’s really something I should tell you in person … it’ll have to wait. It’s good news, I promise.”**

“There’s the understatement of the century.” _Sirius_ commented cheerfully, glancing at the woman in his arms.

**“Okay.” Sirius didn’t look convinced, but he dropped the matter anyway. “How’s everything going?”  
Hermione sat back against the sofa, drawing her knees up to her chest. “Something awful’s going to happen.” She whispered. “I can feel it.”**

**“You too?” Sirius asked knowingly.**

“Thanks for that.” Hermione said softly. “Most people would have just brushed me off … told me I was being silly …”

**Hermione nodded, her gaze falling to the Marauders’ Map, which was lying beside her. A dot was moving rapidly towards the Common Room and she smiled. “Harry’s coming.”**

However worried she was about Sirius, Lily couldn’t help smiling at the fact that he was there for her son. **  
The portrait hole opened almost as soon as the words left her mouth, and Harry stumbled in, pulling the Invisibility Cloak off as he did. His face was paler than she’d ever seen it …**

The smile slid off Lily’s face immediately. “Why? What happened?”

“You’ll see.” Harry met James’s eyes over her head and the future father nodded slightly, understanding his unspoken warning that the following information would be difficult for her to hear.

**… and she leapt to her feet, hurrying to his side. “Harry, what happened?”  
Harry didn’t answer. He moved to the rug and fell to his knees, greeting Sirius almost automatically.**

“That’s not good.” Addie murmured.

**“Harry?” Hermione asked worriedly.**

**“Pup, what’s wrong?” Sirius prompted, sounding just as concerned. “You alright?”**

**“I’m …” Harry began.**

“Fine.” The girls finished in unison.

**“Don’t you dare say ‘fine’!” Hermione snapped …**

_Sirius_ laughed. “Thank Merlin you were there, Hermione.”

**…at the same time as Lily …**

Lily smiled gratefully at her.

**… much to the latter’s amusement.**

**Harry blinked at her for a second. “I wasn’t going to say that.”**

Fred snorted. “Yeah, right.”

**Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Really?”**

**“No.” Harry insisted. When her expression didn’t change, he sighed. “Fine.”**

**Sirius chuckled. “We need to induct you into the Marauders, Hermione; that was flawless.**

“It was.” Jen agreed.

**Miss Jade couldn’t have done any better.”**

Lily chuckled. “It’s slightly unnerving how I’m a measuring stick all of a sudden.”

“Well, that’s how you used to get all of our pranks out of us.” _Sirius_ said with a smile.

**“Why, thank you, Mr Padfoot.” Hermione smirked, bowing slightly to the fireplace. “Now be a good boy, Harry, and tell your godfather what’s bothering you.”**

**Harry opened his mouth to protest again, but she narrowed her eyes at him and the events of the last few weeks came pouring out.**

“Good.” Lily said firmly.

**Satisfied, Hermione sat back, giving Harry some privacy. She already knew all of this, after all, and it was good he was finally getting it off his chest.**

**But she was focusing on something else, the way Sirius had spoken of Lily as another Marauder.**

“She is.” James said with a grin. “It’s one of the many things that makes her utterly amazing.”

**That in and of itself wasn’t too surprising, considering that Harry had referred to ‘Jade’ as a ‘Marauder name’ and Lily hadn’t corrected him – but she couldn’t help remembering her earlier thoughts about Lily not being an angel at Hogwarts.**

**_How did I know? Or was it just a lucky guess? After all, if the Marauders were anything like the twins, you couldn’t be too rule-abiding to marry one of them – it would drive you mental!_ **

Lily burst out laughing. “Well, I won’t argue with that; I’m slightly concerned that by the time you get me back, I will have lost whatever sanity I have left.”

“You’re implying that you had sanity when you agreed to marry him in the first place.” _Addie_ smirked, ignoring James’s outraged ‘hey!’

**Hermione was satisfied with this logic, but whether she would have pursued it further she would never know, because her thought process was lost as soon as Harry’s voice cut into it.**

**“… and Hagrid just showed me the first task – it’s dragons, Sirius, and I’m a goner!”**

“WHAT?!”

For a few seconds, it was chaos. Jen and Sirius – both of whom knew quite a lot about magical creatures – had leapt to their feet, only to simply stare at the book, because there was nothing else they could do. Remus and Addie, white-faced, were trying coax them to sit down again. David was cursing out the Ministry.

Lily simply screamed and darted out of James’s arms, flinging her own around Harry.

“Mum, it’s okay!” Harry somehow managed to move so that he could hug her. “It’s fine. I’m here, aren’t I? Do I look permanently disfigured to you?”

Lily choked out a laugh. “No. No, you don’t.” She pulled away, cupping his face. “Tell me you get out without getting hurt.”

Harry hesitated. “I got a little hurt. But nothing bad.”

Lily didn’t look happy, but relaxed anyway, releasing her hold on him. Jen’s knees seemed to have buckled and she sank onto Remus’s lap, where he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the side of her head.

Sirius was still standing and Addie rose to her feet as well, taking his hand. “Sirius …” Her gaze slid to her future counterpart, who had taken the whole thing very calmly. Maybe _Sirius_ had filled her in the night before. “Sirius, Harry’s obviously alright.”

“I know.” Sirius muttered. “It’s just … dragons …”

Addie squeezed his hand. “I know. Come on.”

Sirius nodded numbly and allowed her to lead him back to the sofa. Once everyone had settled again, Arabella found her place and continued.

**“Dragons?!” Hermione repeated incredulously, trying to keep from shrieking the word.**

“I bet that was difficult.” Mandy commented, white-faced.

Hermione chuckled weakly. “It really was.”

**Within seconds, she had pulled Harry to his feet and drawn her wand, aiming it threateningly. “Harry James Potter, I swear to Merlin that if you don’t start laughing and tell me you’re joking in the next thirty seconds, I will hex you into the next century!”**

“You’re scary when you’re mad.” Harry stated, causing her to blush slightly in embarrassment.

**Harry sighed wearily, fought off her arm and drew his own wand. “ _Expelliarmus!”_**

“Try not to rely too heavily on that spell.” _Sirius_ advised. “As useful as it is, it’s easily overpowered and you can never guarantee that your opponent doesn’t know wandless magic.”  
“Very few people can though.” David pointed out. “Although you’re right.”

“I never learnt wandless.” _Sirius_ conceded. “But James did. And Jen was bloody terrifying, with or without a wand.”

**Caught off-guard, Hermione’s wand flew into Harry’s hand. “What the …?”**

**“I’m not joking.” Harry whispered, looking old beyond his years.**

Lily squeezed Harry’s hand.

**“See, Hermione, this is where the second wand comes in handy.” Sirius joked.**

“I wasn’t really going to hex him.” Hermione muttered.

**Harry sank back to the rug, tossing Hermione’s wand back. “I’m sure Hermione wouldn’t want me in the hospital wing on Tuesday.”**

**“If it stops you facing a dragon.” Hermione muttered, slipping her wand away again and letting her eyes drift back to the fireplace.**

**Sirius was watching the exchange with a smile on his face, but it was a smile that didn’t reach his eyes …**

“You reminded me of James and Lily.” _Sirius_ remarked with a smile. “Or me and Addie, I couldn’t quite decide.”

“Sounds more like you and me.” _Addie_ said pensively. “Lily rarely resorted to hexes.”

As everyone chuckled, Hermione fought not to blush. She seemed to be the only one to catch on to the unspoken implications.

**… which still held the deadened, haunted look that Azkaban had given them.**

_Addie_ ’s smile faded and she closed her eyes, turning her head into his chest.

**“Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we’ll get to that in a minute …”**

“Wait a second.” James frowned. “You’re telling me that there’s something more important than dragons?”

“There were things I had to warn him about.” _Sirius_ sighed, stroking _Addie_ ’s hair.

**Hermione couldn’t help interrupting. “You what? There’s something more important that dragons?! Are you serious?!”**

Several people groaned.

**Sirius’s smile widened slightly. “Yes, actually. You’d think you’d know my name by now.”**

_Addie_ smacked his arm. “That joke stopped being funny years ago.”

**He cleared his throat. “As I was saying, I haven’t got long to be here; I’ve broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back any minute. There are things I need to warn you about.”**

**“What now?!” Harry groaned.**

**“Karkaroff.” Sirius stated.**

“Oh, that makes sense.” Jen nodded.

**“He’s a Death Eater. He was caught; he was put in Azkaban a month or so before me …**

“What?” David asked. “How’d he get out?”

**… but got released.**

“Why the hell would they release a Death Eater?!” David demanded.

“I’ll tell them in a minute.” _Sirius_ assured him.

**I’d bet everything that’s why Dumbledore wanted an auror at Hogwarts this year – to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. He and James put him in Azkaban in the first place.”**

James pulled a face. “I’m not sure whether I’m proud or pissed off.”

“Be both.” Jen suggested. “I would be.”

**The words took a few seconds to sink into Hermione, but when they did she leapt to her feet once again, pacing up and down. “I knew it! I _knew_ it! That’s why … that son of a … I could just … when I … no wonder she’s so …” Thoroughly frustrated with her own ability to articulate her anger, she whirled around to face the fireplace again. “Why the _fuck_ isn’t he still there?!”**

James and Sirius applauded as Hermione blushed heavily.

“That’s your fault.” _Addie_ informed _Sirius_.

“How can it be my fault?” He asked. “I wasn’t there, remember?”

 _Addie_ ’s stern look softened, hearing the dark tone of his voice. “It’s in the blood, that’s how.” **  
“Hermione!” Harry cried, sounding impressed.**

“I was!” Harry nodded. “It’s really not like her. It was like when she smacked Draco all over again.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Let’s just keep bringing that up, shall we?”

“Okay, we will.” Fred responded cheerfully.

**“Language!”**

**“Calm down, Hermione.” Sirius said quietly. “He did a deal with the Ministry of Magic. Said he’d seen the error of his ways …**

“Bullshit.” David muttered.

**… and then he named names …”**

“So they let him out?!” Lily demanded.

“One of those names must have been golden.” Jen murmured. “It’s the only explanation.”

**“Dammit!” James snarled. “I was wondering how he got out.”**

**Hermione let out an uncharacteristic growl that sounded more like Padfoot than her own lioness.**

_Addie_ just smiled.

**“That’s ridiculous! He practically admits to being a Death Eater so they let him go?! What the hell’s wrong with these people?!”**

**“Down, Catwoman.” Harry muttered with a smirk.**

Lily chuckled, but everyone else just looked puzzled.

“Muggle thing.” Harry said.

**“He put a lot of other people in Azkaban.” Sirius allowed himself a triumphant smirk that made him look years younger. “He’s not very popular in there, I can tell you.**

“I bet he’s not.” David muttered.

**And since he got out, from what I can tell, he’s been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well.”**

**“My empathy hasn’t picked anything up.” Hermione commented, beginning to calm down. “Just annoyance with all the girls that follow him into the library.”**

“He was annoyed by the attention?” James questioned. “But he’s a celebrity.”

“So am I, technically.” Harry sighed. “I got the impression that Viktor was in it for the flying and the actual thrill of competing, rather than the fame.”

**Harry’s attention was focused elsewhere. “Are you saying that Karkaroff put my name in the Goblet? Because if he did, he’s a really good actor. He seemed furious. He wanted to stop me competing.”**

**Hermione rolled her eyes impatiently, but she couldn’t help glancing at James and Lily, who shrugged. “Harry, if he wasn’t a good actor, he’d never have been released.”**

“She has a point,” Jen conceded, “but we’ve already established that it isn’t Karkaroff, because Hermione would have seen him on the Map.”

“Unless …” Regulus said slowly, “and I’m not saying I think it is Karkaroff, because I don’t, but there may well have been another Concealment Charm created after you graduate that the Map can be fooled by.”

The eight Marauders exchanged glances, but no one could refute that fact.

“Great.” James sighed. “Now we’re back to where we started.”

**“Exactly.” Sirius smiled proudly at her. “You should be an auror. Now I’ve been keeping an eye on the _Daily Prophet_ , Harry …”**

**“You and the rest of the world.” Harry muttered bitterly.**

**“… and, reading between the lines of that Skeeter woman’s article last month, Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts.” Sirius finished flawlessly.**

“Wasn’t that a false alarm though?” James asked. “Hermione said it was a false alarm.”  
“No, she didn’t.” Jen said, thinking back. “She said that he’d heard intruders so often that they sent Arthur in straight away. She _implied_ it was a false alarm, but never actually said it was.”

**Hermione opened her mouth to correct him, but he pushed on hastily. “And, yes, I know they said it was a false alarm. But it all seems far too convenient to me, for him it to happen the night before he started at Hogwarts. Mad-Eye’s heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn’t mean he can’t still spot the real thing.**

“Someone was trying to stop him from getting to Hogwarts.” David concluded. “But who?”

**Moody was one of the best aurors the Ministry ever had.”**

**_One of?_ ** **Hermione questioned in her head. She would have asked, but Sirius’s expression had held grief for a second and she assumed the other was James.**

_Sirius_ shook his head. “Jen. Although James was pretty damn good.”

David looked over at Jen, who was still very white. “Better than Moody?”  
“Better than Moody.” _Sirius_ confirmed, smiling proudly.

**“So … what are you saying?” Harry asked, dragging her from her thoughts. “Karkaroff’s trying to kill me?**

“That’s not what we said.” Hermione murmured, smiling at him.

**But … why?”**

**Sirius paused, as if wording what he wanted to say in his head. “I’ve been hearing some very strange things.” He said carefully and Hermione sat forward eagerly, hoping for some sort of answers for her never-ending curiosity.**

Draco chuckled. “Typical.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow. His tone was almost … affectionate.

**“The Death Eaters seem to be a bit more active than usual lately. Someone set of the Dark Mark … and there’s that Ministry of Magic witch who’s gone missing.”**

**“Bertha Jorkins?” Hermione asked.**

**“Exactly.” Sirius confirmed. “She disappeared in Albania, and that’s definitely where Voldemort was rumoured to be last … and she would have known the Triwizard Tournament was coming up, wouldn’t she?”**

David was nodding, looking impressed.

**“Yeah, but …” Harry seemed desperate to discount this as a theory.**

Harry rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m sorry if I don’t want to think that Voldemort’s trying to kill me again.”

**“It’s not very likely she’d have walked straight into Voldemort, is it?”**

**Sirius sighed. “Listen; I knew Bertha Jorkins. She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years below me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all.**

“How do you know her?!” Lily asked, sounding frustrated. “I couldn’t pick her out of a line-up.”

Sirius shrugged. “No idea. I can’t think who she is. Not in that detail anyway.”

“May as well tell them.” _Addie_ sighed. “Or they’ll drive themselves mad.”

“Fine.” _Sirius_ turned to the students. “Bertha may have happened upon a rather … private moment between the two of us and spread it around the school.”

“We didn’t know it was her.” _Addie_ smirked. “Well, not until she came and told us it was her. Never did know when to keep her mouth shut.”

**It’s not a good combination, Harry. I’d say she’d be very easy to lure into a trap.”**

**Hermione couldn’t help feeling that he spoke from Marauder-experience …**

“I did.” _Sirius_ confirmed. “But we never targeted _her_ like that.”

**… but focused on the problem at hand. “So He-Who-Must-Be-Hyphenated could have found out about the Tournament?”**

James sniggered. “Good name.”

**Harry sniggered. “Where’d you get that?”**

**“Well, calling him You-Know-Who all the time gets a bit tiring, but I can’t seem to be able to call him by his proper name yet, so I thought I’d stick with this one.” Hermione admitted. “Do you think that Wormtail could have had something to do with it?”**

Mandy stiffened and stared at the floor.

**“Wormtail?” Sirius asked, his face darkening. “Why do you ask?”**

**“Well, if you were very nosy, as you say, and you ran into someone who was supposed to be dead, wouldn’t you want to know what they were up to more than you wanted to alert the Ministry?” Hermione asked logically.**

“Good girl.” David whispered, as _Sirius_ gave her a smile.

**“Wormtail doesn’t worry me.” Harry admitted. “He’s miles away. Do you think that Karkaroff is here on Voldemort’s orders?”**

**Again, Sirius hesitated before answering. “I don’t know. I just don’t know … Karkaroff doesn’t strike me as the type who’d go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him.**

“Not unless he was desperate.” Regulus nodded. “Or had some way of covering his backside.”

**But whoever put your name in that Goblet did it for a reason and I can’t help thinking the Tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it look like an accident.”**

Lily shuddered. “Well, the dragons are a good start.”

Regulus frowned. “No, that can’t be it.”

“What do you mean?” Jen asked.

“Remember Harry’s dream?” Regulus responded. “If we’re right about the ritual, then the Dark Lord needs Harry’s blood – he won’t want him dead. Not yet.”

“Which means there’s either another plan or Voldemort’s not behind this.” Jen realised. “Crap.”

**”Looks like a really good plan from where I’m standing.” Harry whispered. “They’ll just have to stand back and let the dragons do their stuff.”**

**Hermione winced at the reminder of the first task and put an arm around Harry’s shoulders.**

**“Right – these dragons.” Sirius began speaking quickly. “There’s a way, Harry. Don’t be tempted to try a Stunning Spell – dragons are too strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by single stunner. You need about half-a-dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon …”**

**“Yeah, I know. I just saw.” Harry shuddered and Hermione tightened her arm.**

**“But you can do it alone.” Sirius told him. “There is a way and a simple spell’s all you need.**

“What are you thinking?” Jen asked.

“Conjunctivitis Curse probably.” Sirius answered. “Dragon’s eyes are its weakest point, after all.”

Jen frowned. “True … But that’s a NEWT level spell. Harry’s only  a fourth year.”

 _Sirius_ cursed under his breath. “Sorry, Harry, I didn’t even think about that.”

Harry grinned. “It’s fine. Worked out in the end, didn’t it?”

**Just …”**

**“Ssh!” Hermione hissed suddenly.**

Everyone froze, as though the danger was in the room with them.

**Footsteps were coming down the stairs.**

Addie paled, glancing at Sirius.

**A glance at Harry’s pale face told her that he had heard them as well. In seconds, Hermione had sprung to her feet, hiding the fireplace from view.**

“Why didn’t you check the Map?” Lily asked.

Hermione blushed. “I honestly forgot I had it.”

**“Go!” Harry whispered. “Someone’s coming!”**

**“Take care!” Hermione added, just before a tiny ‘pop’ signalled Sirius’s departure.**

**The two Gryffindors stared at the staircase, wondering just who was wandering about at one o’clock in the morning.**

“Do you think someone heard them?” Addie whispered, shifting closer to Sirius.

**“What’s our excuse?” Harry muttered.**

**Hermione shrugged helplessly. There were several reasons why they might still be awake and in the common room, and each seemed as unbelievable as the one before.**

“I could think of a good reason.” Fred remarked, winking at the two fifth years, both of whom blushed darkly.

**As she tried to think of something plausible, her gaze fell on the Marauders’ Map, still lying on the sofa, and she cursed herself for not looking at it earlier. _Too late now._ She waved her wand over it. “Mischief managed.”**

**Seconds later, the interrupter emerged from the girls’ staircase.**

**It was Ginny …**

“Sorry.” Ginny sighed.

“We’ve been through this.” Harry reminded her quietly.

**… her face white as snow and tears trickling down her cheeks.**

Ginny shuddered. She had assumed that the nightmares had stopped until that night.

“Were you alright?” Lily asked kindly.

Ginny nodded. “Had a nightmare, that’s all.”

**She didn’t seem to see them, moving towards them like a ghost.**

**The two fourth years exchanged a glance, wondering if, perhaps, she was sleep-walking, before Harry stepped forwards. “Ginny? You okay?”  
Ginny blinked several times, as though only just focussing on him. She shook her head slowly, her body beginning to shake with the force of her sobs, and as her knees buckled, Harry caught her and half-led, half-carried her to the sofa.**

Fred reached over and took her hand. “Why didn’t you tell us you were still having nightmares?”

“Every time I mentioned the Chamber, Mum burst into tears and Dad looked like he wanted to hit something.” Ginny said softly. “So I just pretended I was alright now.”

Fred sighed. “Gin, you don’t have to do that. Even if you can’t talk to Mum or Dad, you could have come to us.”

**Hermione sat beside them, rubbing her back as she cried into Harry’s robes. He caught her eye over Ginny’s head, silently asking the question.**

**Should they get Ron?**

“But he wasn’t talking to you.” Ginny pointed out.

Harry shrugged. “I figured you might need your brother.”  
Ginny smiled at him. “I had my brother.”

**After a few minutes, Hermione was just about to venture up the boys’ staircase – more inclined to fetch one of the twins than Ron …**

“Wise move.” Fred smirked. “Ron’s not the most tactful of people.”  
Hermione snorted. “You can say that again.”

**… when Ginny sat up, wiping her eyes. “Sorry.” She muttered.**

**“Don’t worry about it.” Harry squeezed her hand and Hermione couldn’t help noticing the resemblance between them and James and Lily, who were standing by the fireplace, looking concerned.**

**_One more reason why I doubt they’d ever date. He’d have to have a serious Oedipus complex to fall for someone who looks so much like his mother._ **

Harry couldn’t help shuddering. “I love you and all, Gin, but please never say anything like that again, Mione.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I _thought_ it, Harry; I didn’t say it. Believe it or not, I didn’t know our lives would be written into books.”

**Amazingly, Ginny didn’t seem that bothered by the fact that she’d just been crying in Harry Potter’s arms …**

“I was over it.” Ginny said, waving it away. “Didn’t realise until then.”

**… and she managed a wry smile when he asked what was wrong.**

**“Nightmare.” She explained. “Back in the Chamber. Haven’t had one for a while … it took me by surprise.”**

**“I still have nightmares about it sometimes too, sis.” Harry said in a low voice. “If you want to talk …”  
“I’m fine.” Ginny accepted the tissue Hermione handed her and blew her nose, before giving Harry a questioning look. “Sis?”**

Lily smiled. She had caught on to Harry’s nick-name for Ginny during the third book.

**Harry turned slightly pink. “It’s a nick-name I have for you in my head. Do you mind?”**

**To Hermione’s surprise, Ginny beamed at him. “Of course not. I can always do with another big brother.**

“One more person to beat up the boyfriends.” Fred said cheerfully.

Ginny gave him a cold look. “Don’t even think it.”

**What are you two doing up anyway?”**

**“We’ll tell you tomorrow.” Hermione said, checking her watch. “Later today, I suppose.” She put an arm around Ginny’s shoulder. “Do you want to sleep in the extra bed in our dorm tonight?”**

“There’s an extra bed?” Lily questioned.

Hermione nodded. “There’s always been four beds in our dorm. I don’t know why. Maybe the average number of students per house worked out as eight, so they put four beds in each dorm and adjusted accordingly.” **  
Ginny thought for a second, then nodded. “Thanks. Goodnight Harry.”**

**“Night Harry.” Hermione echoed.**

**“Night ladies.” Harry gathered up his Cloak, bag and the Map and made his way up the boys’ staircase.**

**Hermione and Ginny jogged up the girls’ staircase until they reached the fourth year dorm. Tiptoeing past Lavender and Parvati’s beds, they slipped into bed, leaving the curtains between them open, and bid each other goodnight.**

**This wasn’t the first time this had happened; during her second year, Ginny had been plagued with nightmares …**

Fred squeezed her hand.

**… and had spent most nights in Hermione’s dorm, so Lavender and Parvati wouldn’t be surprised when they awoke.**

**Hermione couldn’t get to sleep, unable to close her eyes without thinking of dragons and Harry and Death Eaters.**

“Sorry, Hermione.” Harry said, smiling wryly. “Didn’t mean to keep you awake.”

“And how well did you sleep that night?” Hermione asked knowingly.

Harry didn’t answer, proving her right.

**Finally, exhausted, her eyes closed of their own accord and she slipped into a fitful sleep.**

“That’s the end of the chapter.” Arabella told them. “And I’m really, really hungry.”

“Me too.” Several people seconded.

“It’s probably time we stopped for lunch.” Hermione remarked. “Are we cooking or are our illustrious hosts going to grace us with a meal?”

As she spoke, a table appeared in the corner of the room laden with food and a note floated into Harry’s hands, whereupon he snickered and read it aloud. “ _Mya, there’s no reason to sound so sarcastic._ _Dig in, everybody._ ”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Fred.”

“Actually,” Harry smirked, “it’s in your handwriting.”


	20. Chapter Eighteen - Of First Tasks and Unexpected Ones

Once the plates had been scraped clean, Lily dragged everyone back to the seating area. She wasn’t going to wait any longer than necessary to find out if her son escaped a dragon unharmed.

The fact that he was sitting beside her seemed to escape her notice.

Mandy picked up the book again and turned to the next chapter.

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Of First Tasks and Unexpected Ones**

“Unexpected?” Lily questioned. “What was unexpected …?”

Hermione frowned for a second. “I don’t … Oh,” she giggled, “I know what it means. Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad!”

**It was less than a few hours later when Hermione finally awoke, determined to find some way to get Harry through the First Task alive.**

**She sat up, her brain flitting from asleep to awake in a nanosecond …**

“I don’t know how you do that.” Ginny muttered.

**… and saw that only Ginny remained in the dorm room, already dressed and waiting for her.**

**“Harry’s waiting for us in the Common Room.” Ginny told her quietly. “He says we need some place to talk privately.”**

**“He’s right.” Hermione grimaced. The lake was far too open for this conversation, and even the Map only helped when you found the hidden rooms.**

“That’s true.” Jen sighed.

 _Addie_ smiled. “You could use the search function.”

“What search function?” Several people asked.

“I’d forgotten about that.” _Sirius_ remarked.

Harry pulled his copy of the Map from his pocket. “How do you work it?”

 _Addie_ rested a hand on it. “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” Once the Map had formed, she smiled and said, “Oh Merlin, they’re at it again. Show me hidden rooms.”

At once, several areas of the Map turned green and the writing at the top changed to _Misses Jade, Shadow, Selena, Talon and Bastet, Willing Participants of Magical Mischief Making, are proud to present the Marauder Search Function_.

“When did that happen?” James demanded.

“Beginning of seventh year.” _Addie_ told him with a smile. “To turn it off, just tap it and say ‘Trouble Diverted’.”

The colours disappeared and the title reverted to normal.

“Mischief managed.” _Addie_ handed the blank Map back to Harry. “Just for future reference.”

“Why did we do that?” Jen asked.

“It was my idea.” _Addie_ admitted. “I realised how utterly frustrating it was to search the entire Map for one person.”

“Who were you trying to find?” Hermione questioned.

“Sirius.” _Addie_ answered. “I needed to talk to him.”

 _Sirius_ grinned at her. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”

 _Addie_ smacked him upside the head, her face turning pink. “Thank you. Carry on, Mandy.”

**Without knowing where they were, they could wander around all day and not find anything. “Where’s Lily when you need her?”**

**“Lily?” Ginny questioned, and Hermione realised that she’d never told Ginny about the Potters.**

**“It’s long story.” She said as she ducked into the bathroom to shower.**

**When she emerged, Ginny hadn’t moved. “We’ve got time.”**

**“It’s my empathy.” Hermione said, dressing quickly. “I can speak to James and Lily – you know, Harry’s parents.”**

“I knew who you meant.” Ginny assured her.

Hermione shrugged. “I was used to referring to them as Mr and Mrs Potter. Or, you know, Harry’s parents.”

**“They’re alive?” Ginny whispered.**

**“Yep. Don’t ask me where they are though, because I have no bloody idea.” Hermione admitted, pulling her cloak from her trunk. “But I bet Lily would know somewhere we could talk privately.”**

“I would.” Lily agreed.

**“The Room of Requirement.” Lily provided, appearing out of nowhere.**

Lily nodded in agreement.

**Ginny must have seen Hermione jump, because she asked, “She’s here, isn’t she? What did she say?”**

**Hermione didn’t answer, frowning at Lily in confusion. “Where’s that?”**

**“Seventh floor.” Lily answered with a smile. “Find the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy – you know, the one trying teach the trolls ballet.**

“No wonder he was called Barmy.” Arabella muttered.

**Walk up and down three times in front of the wall and ask it for what you need.”**

**“Won’t need this then.” Hermione tossed her cloak on her bed. “C’mon, Gin; I’ve got somewhere.”**

**The two girls jogged down to the Common Room, where Harry was waiting, holding a bundle of toast.**

“This looks familiar.” James chuckled.

Harry shrugged. “Didn’t want to wait until after breakfast.”

**“Lake?”**

**“No.” Hermione couldn’t help laughing. “The roles have reversed.”**

**“Well, you claimed panic last night.” Harry reminded her. “So I had to take the calm and logical one. Not my best role, admittedly, but someone has to do it.**

_Addie_ raised an eyebrow. “That sounds familiar.”

“Yeah, it does.” _Sirius_ agreed. “First Quidditch match of seventh year; we had to change the line-up for the first time since fourth year and James was freaking out about it. He and Lily had a very similar conversation.”

“But I never freak out about Quidditch.” Lily frowned.

“But you are generally the more likely to freak out.” James pointed out with a smile.

**Where are we going then?”**

**“Somewhere more private.” Hermione told him, taking a slice of toast. “Follow me.” She led them out of the Common Room and through the corridors until she found the tapestry Lily had identified.**

“I’ve honestly never paid the slightest attention to that tapestry.” Draco remarked. “I’ll have to look for it.”

**The corridor was empty, but for a cool breeze emanating from one of the windows. Their footsteps echoed off the cold stone and Hermione ran a hand along the wall, frowning. _How odd … Maybe the room’s been removed since Lily was here._**

Hermione chuckled. “Nope.”

**“Hermione?” Harry whispered. “It may be deserted, but the corridor’s not the best place to talk.”**

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Harry.” Remembering Lily’s instructions, she began to pace up and down. _We need a place to talk privately._**

**Ginny gasped suddenly and Hermione spun on her heel to see a door appear in the wall. She pushed it open to find a room not unlike the Gryffindor Common Room.**

“That’s what we always turn it into.” James grinned.

**“This’ll do.” Harry remarked, pulling the Marauders’ Map from his pocket as the door closed.**

“It’s not on there.” James said. “It’s Unplottable.”

“I know, Dad.” Harry smirked. “This happened months ago.”

James grinned sheepishly. “Oh yeah.”

**“Tell him not to bother, Hermione.” James advised, appearing on one of the sofas. “It’s not on there.”**

“James, you’re repeating yourself again.” Sirius said with a grin.

**“Your dad says don’t bother – it’s not on there.” Hermione repeated, not looking at Harry, but smirking at James instead. “You do realise you’re a spirit, don’t you? Therefore sitting down has no affect on you.”**

**“Yeah, but it gets a bit boring just standing around all the time.” James responded.**

Lily rolled her eyes. “Oh, James …”

**“This is the Room of Requirement; turns itself into anything you need.”**

**“If the Marauders knew about it, why isn’t it on the Map?” Ginny asked.**

**“My guess is that it’s Unplottable.” Hermione said, glancing at James, who nodded. “But we can talk privately here.”**

**“What happened last night?” Ginny asked immediately …**

“Talking to Sirius wasn’t one of the things I’d considered.” Ginny admitted, smirking as Hermione turned an interesting shade of red.

**… when Harry looked at her. “Did I interrupt something?”**

**“Nothing like you’re thinking.” Hermione said quickly …**

“And how did you know what she was thinking?” Draco asked slyly.

“It was written very clearly on her face.” Hermione answered. “It would have been less obvious if she’d just made a suggestive noise.”

“I considered it.” Ginny said cheerfully.

**… seeing the smirk beginning to form on her face. “Sirius managed to get to a fire and flooed us.”**

**The smirk and the colour promptly disappeared from Ginny’s face. “Oh, Harry, I’m sorry! You must _hate_ me!”**

“Oh, dear, it’s not your fault!” Lily protested.

Ginny smiled at her. “I know, Lily. Still felt bad about it though.” **  
**

**“Gin, don’t be ridiculous!” Harry said, rolling his eyes with a fond smile. “It’s not like you knew what we were doing down there. But we found out a few things last night and we think you should know.”**

**“First of all,” Hermione continued flawlessly, “Karkaroff was a Death Eater.”**

Ginny growled. “That was fun.”

**Ginny looked stunned. “What?”**

**“He was a Death Eater.” Hermione repeated. “He was in Azkaban, gave the Ministry a load of names and was released.”  
“That … That … That … git!” Ginny hissed finally, unable to vocalise her anger any better.**

“You’re taking it better than Hermione.” Draco smirked.

**Harry sniggered. “Well, you’re taking it better than Hermione.”**

The two boys eyed each other for a second, before, before Harry shrugged and held up his hand for a high-five. “Why not?”

**Ginny glared at him. “Do you have any idea what this means? Sirius was charged with the murder of thirteen people. Do you think that Karkaroff killed less than that? If Sirius had ‘confessed’, he would have had more chance of getting out; it’s crazy!”**

“I hadn’t thought about it like that.” Jen admitted through gritted teeth.

**“Focus please, Ginny.” Hermione sighed. “I’m with you all the way on this, believe me …**

“I hadn’t realised just how strongly though.” Ginny remarked.

**… but we’ve got bigger things to worry about. Hagrid showed Harry the first task last night.”**

**“It’s dragons.” Harry told her.**

“Next time, break it to me gently.” Ginny requested.

“At least you’re telling people.” Addie commented. “The more people who know, the more people who can help you.”

**Ginny’s face, which had regained some colour in her anger, promptly turned white again, and the slice of toast she was holding slipped from her numb fingers. “Dragons? You can’t fight a dragon!”**

“I wish the Ministry was that sensible.” Mandy whispered. **  
**

**“No, I think I just have to get past one.” Harry corrected. “I assume to retrieve something.”**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief, but Sirius shook his head. “No, that’ll mean fighting it.”

**Ginny laughed humourlessly. “Harry, getting past it will probably mean fighting it, whether you like it or not.”**

**“Damn.” Harry muttered. “I was worried about that. I need help, girls.”**

“That sounds familiar.” _Addie_ remarked, looking at _Sirius_. “Didn’t you and James say that a lot?”

“At least once a week.” _Sirius_ admitted, unabashed.

**Ginny frowned in thought. “What did Sirius say?” She asked finally, taking another piece of toast from the pile, ignoring the piece that was now butter-side-down on the floor.**

“Why does toast always do that?” Sirius sighed.

“It’s just an unwritten law of the universe.” Addie said, with a glint in her eye. “Kind of like how cats always land on their feet.”

Sirius’s eyes lit up and he turned to Arabella, who glared at him. “No.” She turned her glare on Addie. “Why? Why would you do that?”

**“Don’t try stunning it.” Harry recited. “And a simple spell’s all I need.” He winced. “And that’s when you came in.”  
“Sorry.” Ginny murmured absently, staring into the fire. “Charlie never talks about how to knock dragons out; he loves them too much.”**

Fred chuckled fondly. **  
**

**Hermione stretched out on the sofa so she was staring at the ceiling. “James, what do you think?”**

James looked startled. “You’re asking me? I was never any good at COMC.”

**“I think you just put your feet through my legs.” James answered moving to the arm of the sofa.**

Harry laughed. “Oh, _that’s_ what he said.”

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “Again, you’re a spirit. You can’t actually feel it.”**

**“It’s the principle of the thing.” James said sniffily …**

“Sniffily?” James repeated, amused.

“Sniffily.” Hermione confirmed with a nod. “Considerably.”

**… she lifted her head to glare at him. “A dragon’s eyes are its weakest point …**

Fred nodded.

**… but I’ve got nothing aside from that.**

“So either I didn’t think of the Conjunctivitis Curse or I know that it’s NEWT level.” James remarked.

**COMC was never my strong point …**

Remus snorted. “That’s putting it lightly.”

James rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

**… Lily was pretty good at it, but even she has a problem when it comes to dragons.”**

Now it was Lily’s turn to nod in agreement.

**“Eyes are the weakest point …” Hermione repeated thoughtfully.**

**“Oh yeah …” Ginny whispered. “I remember Charlie saying that now.”**

**“How’s that going to help?” Harry asked blankly. “Is there a simple spell I can use to blind her?”**

“How did you know it was a she?” Mandy asked curiously.

Harry grimaced. “You’ll see.”

**“Her?” Hermione questioned.**

**Harry nodded. “They’re nesting mothers, Charlie said.”**

Jen let out a small scream and clutched Remus’s hand. “Nesting mothers?! Do they have any idea how protective dragons are of their eggs?!”

Lily let out a squeak and grabbed Harry tighter.

“Thanks, Jen.” Harry mumbled though her arms.

**“Charlie’s here?” Ginny asked, looking hurt. “Why hasn’t he …? Hang on, back up a second! Nesting mothers?! Are they crazy?!”**

**“Probably.” Hermione said, turning her head to look at her. As she did, she spotted a book on the coffee table that certainly hadn’t been there two minutes ago. “Where’d that come from?”**

**Ginny picked it up and flicked through it. “They’re all spells related to sight. It must have appeared when Harry asked.”**

“That’s the way it works.” Arabella smiled. “Hence the name.”

**Hermione grinned. “I love this Room!”**

James chuckled. “That’s exactly what Lily said.”

**James snorted. “Funny – that’s was Lily’s response as well.”**

“You don’t have to tell us twice.” Sirius smirked.

**Ginny turned to the table of contents and grimaced. “It’s no good – the simplest spells in here are NEWT level – Harry’s only got two days.”**

_Sirius_ sighed. “Why didn’t I realise that?”

“It’s fine, Sirius.” Harry assured him, managing to escape Lily’s hold. “I think I handled it alright.”

Fred grinned. “That was bloody brilliant.”

**“Okay.” Hermione ran a hand over her face, thinking hard. “Okay.” She sat up. “Let’s look at this logically for a minute.**

“Good girl.” Lily whispered.

**Aside from the size and the strength, what can the dragon do that Harry can’t?”**

**“Breathe fire.” Harry answered immediately. “And fly.”**

“That’s not much of an advantage.” James muttered, remembering how Harry had flown the day before. He froze, glancing at Harry, who was smirking slightly.

No, there was no way.

**He added as an afterthought. “Oh, and one them has these great big spikes on her tail that could …”**

“Hungarian Horntail.” Sirius supplied, as Lily let out a whimper. “I guess that’s why they’re your least favourite dragon.”

“You think?” Addie asked sarcastically.

**“Stop.” Hermione cut in, cringing at the very thought.**

“Sorry.” Harry grimaced.

**“So there’s only two things a dragon can do that Harry can’t …” She trailed off, realising that the exercise had done nothing but make the task seem even more impossible.**

“No, that’s good.” David told her. “Always be aware of all possible dangers, or you risk getting hurt.”

**“Really, it’s only one thing.” Ginny observed. “Because Harry’s a damn good flier himself.”  
“Yeah, on my Firebolt.” Harry snorted.**

**Ginny suddenly made a noise that was halfway between a yelp and a squeal. “Firebolt! Harry, you could fly past the dragon!”**

“WHAT?!” Lily demanded. “Tell me you didn’t do something that stupid!”

“He did.” James whispered, a smile appearing on his face.

“Harry!” Lily protested.

“Lils, he’s fine.” James pointed out, pulling her against his chest. “He’s right here. Like he said, does he look permanently disfigured?”

“No.” Lily whispered, relaxing slightly.

“And what did you think about this?” Jen asked _Sirius_.

“Didn’t get the letter until after the fact.” _Sirius_ admitted. “For which I am eternally grateful, because it nearly gave me a heart attack anyway.”

**Hermione stared at her, intending to shoot the idea down, but the more she thought about it, the more she realised … “That might actually work.”**

“You agreed?” Addie asked incredulously.

Hermione shrugged. “Harry is an incredible flier. If anyone can fly past a dragon, it’s him.”

**Harry, on the other hand, stared at Ginny like she’d suddenly grown another head. “Ginny, I’m not allowed a broom, remember? I’m only allowed my wand, so …”**

Lily sighed. “Harry, did you forget Charms?”

Harry blushed slightly. “Just for a minute.”

**He broke off abruptly, gaped at her for a few more seconds, then turned to Hermione. “I need you to help me.”**

Sirius chuckled. “When in doubt …” **  
**

**“Harry!” Hermione sighed irritably. “What in Merlin’s name do you think I’ve been trying to do?”**

**“No!” A smile slowly spread across Harry’s face. “I need you to teach me how to do a Summoning Charm by Tuesday!”**

“You had three days to master a charm like that?” Lily asked worriedly.

“I got there.” Harry assured her. “Eventually.”

**Despite the fact that they now had a plan, when Harry awoke on Monday morning, no closer to mastering the Summoning Charm, he seriously considered for the first time ever just running away from Hogwarts.**

As Lily hugged Harry to her, _Addie_ forced herself to hold back from doing exactly the same thing. Spending fourteen years with Lily, listening to her relive the first fifteen months of Harry’s life over and over, had led to her feeling as protective of Harry as anyone else.

But Lily _was_ here now, and it was her time to comfort him.

**But as he looked around the Great Hall at breakfast time, and thought about what leaving the castle would mean, he knew he couldn't do it. It was the only place he had ever been happy … well, he supposed he must have been happy with his parents too, but he couldn't remember that.**

“You were.” _Sirius_ said quietly. “You were one of the happiest babies I’d ever come across.”

“Out of?” _Addie_ asked sweetly.

“There were quite a few actually.” _Sirius_ informed her. “Harry, Hermione and Neville, obviously. Edgar brought Susan to Order meetings once or twice when they couldn’t get a sitter. Lily used to baby-sit for Molly, although the twins were a bit older than them. I don’t think I ever met Ron as a baby … I definitely never met Ginny. But Harry never even cried much. He was always smiling.”

**Somehow, the knowledge that he would rather be here and facing a dragon than back on Privet Drive with Dudley was good to know; it made him feel slightly calmer.**

Lily closed her eyes. Her son would rather face a dragon than live with her sister.

**He finished his bacon with difficulty (his throat wasn't working too well), and as he and Hermione got up, he saw Cedric Diggory leaving the Hufflepuff table.**

**Cedric still didn't know about the dragons … the only champion who didn't, if Harry was right in thinking that Maxime and Karkaroff would have told Fleur and Krum …**

“How did they know?” Remus asked suspiciously.

“Hagrid took Madame Maxime with us.” Harry smirked. “I think he was a bit soft on her. And I ran into Karkaroff on the way back.”

**"Hermione, I'll see you in the greenhouses," Harry said, coming to his decision as he watched Cedric leaving the Hall.**

“You’re going to tell him, aren’t you?” James asked.

Harry nodded, meeting his eyes. “It was the right thing to do.”

“You’re a better man than me.” James admitted.

“You’d have done the same thing, James.” Lily said softly. “You might not think it now, but in that situation, you’d do the same thing.”

**"Go on, I'll catch you up."**

**"Harry, you'll be late, the bell's about to ring -"**

**"I'll catch you up, okay?"**

**By the time Harry reached the bottom of the marble staircase, Cedric was at the top. He was with a load of sixth-year friends. Harry didn't want to talk to Cedric in front of them; they were among those who had been quoting Rita Skeeter's article at him every time he went near them.**

Sirius scowled. “Even with Cedric backing you up?”

“They never did it in front of him.” Harry shrugged. “I don’t think he knew. But I still didn’t want to draw attention to myself.”

**He followed Cedric at a distance and saw that he was heading toward the Charms corridor. This gave Harry an idea. Pausing at a distance from them, he pulled out his wand, and took careful aim.**

**"Diffindo!"**

“Ah, the split-bag trick.” Sirius sighed. “Works every time.”

“Oh, really?” Addie asked. “Am I about to figure out why my bag split _eight_ _times_ in the space of one week and you just so conveniently happened to be around to help?”

Sirius’s face drained of colour and he tried to stammer out an explanation.

 _Addie_ just laughed. “It was nine times, hun, not eight.” She turned to _Sirius_. “You never did apologise for that.”

 _Sirius_ gave her a charming smile that even twelve years of Dementors had failed to dim. “I am sorry for that, Ads. I just tend to lose my ability to think straight around you.”

 _Addie_ snorted. “Darling, you’ve never thought straight in your life.”

**Cedric's bag split. Parchment, quills, and books spilled out of it onto the floor. Several bottles of ink smashed.**

“Harry …” Lily chided.

“I needed to tell him about the dragons.” Harry pointed out, unapologetically.

Lily sighed. “Send him a letter next time. There’s a whole Owlery if you need it.”

**"Don't bother," said Cedric in an exasperated voice as his friends bent down to help him. "Tell Flitwick I'm coming, go on …"**

**This was exactly what Harry had been hoping for. He slipped his wand back into his robes, waited until Cedric's friends had disappeared into their classroom, and hurried up the corridor, which was now empty of everyone but himself and Cedric.**

**"Hi," said Cedric, picking up a copy of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration that was now splattered with ink. "My bag just split … brand-new and all …"**

**"Cedric," said Harry, "the first task is dragons."**

“Fun thing to hear first thing on a Monday.” James commented.

**"What?" said Cedric, looking up.**

**"Dragons," said Harry, speaking quickly, in case Professor Flitwick came out to see where Cedric had got to. "They've got four, one for each of us, and we've got to get past them."**

**Cedric stared at him. Harry saw some of the panic he'd been feeling since Saturday night flickering in Cedric's grey eyes.**

“I wonder why.” Addie muttered, rolling her eyes. She glanced at her future counterpart, who was frowning, something like concern flickering in her eyes.

Had she met Cedric some time during the next year?

No, it wasn’t even a year, was it?

That thought drove Cedric from her mind altogether, as she shuddered and Sirius wrapped his arms around her, kissing the side of her head.

“You okay?” He whispered.

Addie nodded, seeing that everyone was watching her in concern. “Just … dragons.”

**"Are you sure?" Cedric said in a hushed voice.**

**"Dead sure," said Harry. "I've seen them."**

**"But how did you find out? We're not supposed to know …"**

**"Never mind," said Harry quickly – he knew Hagrid would be in trouble if he told the truth. "But I'm not the only one who knows. Fleur and Krum will know by now – Maxime and Karkaroff both saw the dragons too."**

**Cedric straightened up, his arms full of inky quills, parchment, and books, his ripped bag dangling off one shoulder. He stared at Harry, and there was a puzzled, almost suspicious look in his eyes.**

_Addie_ grimaced, remembering what Cedric had told her. _“My father always taught me that nothing came free. That no one would do anything for me unless they wanted something in return, because that was the way the world worked. Harry proved him wrong.”_

Sometimes she wondered why Amos wasn’t a Slytherin.

**"Why are you telling me?" he asked.**

**Harry looked at him in disbelief. He was sure Cedric wouldn't have asked that if he had seen the dragons himself. Harry wouldn't have let his worst enemy face those monsters unprepared – well, perhaps Malfoy or Snape …**

“No.” Harry shook his head. “I wouldn’t let _anyone_ face them unprepared.”

“Voldemort?” Hermione asked lightly.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Anyone within reason.”

“And I’m within reason now, am I?” Draco asked.

Harry sighed. “Yes, you are. I don’t think you’d have believed me, but I would have warned you.”

**"It's just … fair, isn't it?" he said to Cedric. "We all know now … we're on an even footing, aren't we?"**

**Cedric was still looking at him in a slightly suspicious way when Harry heard a familiar clunking noise behind him. He turned around and saw Mad-Eye Moody emerging from a nearby classroom.**

“Uh oh.” David murmured. “Alastor doesn’t take too kindly to cheating.”

“It’s not really cheating, Dad.” James protested. “Harry didn’t go looking for the dragons, and he’s helping someone else.”

“Alastor will see it as cheating.” David told him. “Although, I agree with you.”

**"Come with me, Potter," he growled. "Diggory, off you go."**

**Harry stared apprehensively at Moody. Had he overheard them?**

“Probably.” Jen sighed.

**"Er - Professor, I'm supposed to be in Herbology -"**

**"Never mind that, Potter. In my office, please …"**

**Harry followed him, wondering what was going to happen to him now. What if Moody wanted to know how he'd found out about the dragons? Would Moody go to Dumbledore and tell on Hagrid, or just turn Harry into a ferret?**

_Sirius_ chuckled. “He wouldn’t use the same animal twice, Pronglet.”

**Well, it might be easier to get past a dragon if he were a ferret, Harry thought dully, he'd be smaller, much less easy to see from a height of fifty feet …**

Fred lifted his wand. “That can be arranged.”

Harry disarmed him lazily. “I’ve already done it, Fred. Besides, I don’t know how I’d have actually completed the task as a ferret.”

Lily stared at him. “Harry, did you … Did you just do that wordlessly?”

Harry frowned. “I don’t think so. Did I?”

“No.” Hermione said certainly. “Your lips moved. You just spoke so quietly we couldn’t hear you.”

“Which is the first step to wordless magic.” _Sirius_ finished.

**He followed Moody into his office. Moody closed the door behind them and turned to look at Harry, his magical eye fixed upon him as well as the normal one.**

**"That was a very decent thing you just did, Potter," Moody said quietly.**

David raised an eyebrow. “That’s … unusual.”

“Not what Moody would usually say?” James guessed.

“Not to your face.” David confirmed. “Or not immediately. He challenges you first, forces you to defend your actions. If you can’t defend them, then you shouldn’t do them.”

**Harry didn't know what to say; this wasn't the reaction he had expected at all.**

**"Sit down," said Moody, and Harry sat, looking around.**

**He had visited this office under two of its previous occupants. In Professor Lockhart's day, the walls had been plastered with beaming, winking pictures of Professor Lockhart himself.**

Everyone shuddered, except _Addie_ who gaped at the book. “Not Gilderoy Lockhart?!”

“That’s the one.” _Sirius_ grimaced. “Didn’t Harry mention him in the last book?”

“Probably.” _Addie_ said faintly. “In which case, I hoped I’d misheard.”

**When Lupin had lived here, you were more likely to come across a specimen of some fascinating new Dark creature he had procured for them to study in class.**

**Now, however, the office was full of a number of exceptionally odd objects that Harry supposed Moody had used in the days when he had been an Auror.**

David relaxed. That sounded like Moody’s office at the Ministry.

**On his desk stood what looked hike a large, cracked, glass spinning top …**

“Sneakoscope.” David said.

**… Harry recognized it at once as a Sneakoscope, because he owned one himself, though it was much smaller than Moody's. In the corner on a small table stood an object that looked something like an extra-squiggly, golden television aerial.**

“Secrecy Sensor.” David filled in, when James looked at him.

**It was humming slightly.**

“That means that there’s secrecy and lies around.” David explained. “But then it is a school, so I’d expect that anyway.”

**What appeared to be a mirror hung opposite Harry on the wall, but it was not reflecting the room. Shadowy figures were moving around inside it, none of them clearly in focus.**

“A Foe-Glass.” Jen whispered. “It shows your enemies. The closer the figures, the more danger you’re in.”

**"Like my Dark Detectors, do you?" said Moody, who was watching Harry closely.**

**"What's that?" Harry asked, pointing at the squiggly golden aerial.**

**"Secrecy Sensor. Vibrates when it detects concealment and lies … no use here, of course, too much interference - students in every direction lying about why they haven't done their homework.**

David nodded.

**Been humming ever since I got here. I had to disable my Sneakoscope because it wouldn't stop whistling.**

Hermione suppressed a snort. _Yeah, that’s the reason._

**It's extra-sensitive, picks up stuff about a mile around. Of course, it could be picking up more than kid stuff," he added in a growl.**

“Given that Harry’s been illegally entered into the Tournament, I’d say it probably is.” Lily remarked.

**"And what's the mirror for?"**

**"Oh that's my Foe-Glass.**

Jen smiled slightly, proved right.

**See them out there, skulking around? I'm not really in trouble until I see the whites of their eyes. That's when I open my trunk."**

**He let out a short, harsh laugh, and pointed to the large trunk under the window. It had seven keyholes in a row.**

“A multi-dimensional trunk.” Regulus raised an eyebrow. “That’s interesting.”

“Very.” David agreed. “He hasn’t got that now.”

**Harry wondered what was in there, until Moody's next question brought him sharply back to earth.**

**"So … found out about the dragons, have you?"**

**Harry hesitated. He'd been afraid of this – but he hadn't told Cedric, and he certainly wasn't going to tell Moody, that Hagrid had broken the rules.**

“Good boy.” James muttered.

**"It's all right," said Moody, sitting down and stretching out his wooden leg with a groan. "Cheating's a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and always has been."**

David frowned again. That certainly didn’t sound like Alastor Moody.

**"I didn't cheat," said Harry sharply. "It was – a sort of accident that I found out."**

**Moody grinned. "I wasn't accusing you, laddie. I've been telling Dumbledore from the start, he can be as high-minded as he likes, but you can bet old Karkaroff and Maxime won't be. They'll have told their champions everything they can. They want to win. They want to beat Dumbledore. They'd like to prove he's only human."**

That did, though. David relaxed again. He was clearly forgetting to take into account the sixteen or so years until this happened.

Clearly Moody had changed a little; it was to be expected.

**Moody gave another harsh laugh, and his magical eye swivelled around so fast it made Harry feel queasy to watch it.**

Hermione grimaced. “I know the feeling.”

**"So … got any ideas how you're going to get past your dragon yet?" said Moody.**

**“Yeah …” Harry answered, attempting a weak smile. “Got a fairly good idea … Just need to work out the details.”**

**Surprise flickered on Moody’s face for a second …**

“Probably expecting you to procrastinate like your father.” Lily commented.

**… then it was gone. “Good lad. Off you go then.”**

**It was only as Harry sped down to the greenhouses for Herbology that he realised that Moody had never told him why he called him into his office.**

“What did he want then?” Jen asked.

“I should think Dumbledore asked him to keep an eye on Harry, and Alastor took it to mean ‘help him as much as you can’.” David answered.

“But didn’t you just say that Moody wasn’t like that?” James frowned.

David nodded. “I did, but I’m also thinking about aurors and recruits. Alastor Moody has a strong sense of fair play – a fourteen-year-old competing against his will against three older opponents won’t sit well with him.”

**At two o'clock on Tuesday morning …**

“Harry, get some sleep!” Lily cried. “You have to face a freakin’ dragon!”

“I had to practice.” Harry told her. “Or my broom wasn’t going to move.”

**… Harry stood near the fireplace, surrounded by heaps of objects: books, quills, several upturned chairs, an old set of Gobstones, and Neville's toad, Trevor.**

“Oi!” Neville protested with a grin. “Leave Trevor alone!”

“Sorry, Nev.” Harry chuckled. “I wasn’t aiming for him. He just kept hopping in front of whatever it was I was summoning. I think he enjoys it.”

**Only in the last hour had Harry really got the hang of the Summoning Charm.**

Lily was very pale, but managed to resist tightening her hold further, seeing as it was already tight enough to cut off Harry’s blood supply.

**"That's better, Harry, that's loads better," Hermione said, looking exhausted but very pleased.**

**"Well, now we know what to do next time I can't manage a spell," Harry said, throwing a rune dictionary back to Hermione, so he could try again, "threaten me with a dragon.**

“So Harry needs a dragon, Ron needs a troll …” Fred pretended to take notes. “Gin? You need any life-threatening monsters to learn spells?”

“I don’t think so.” Ginny said thoughtfully. “But put me down for a basilisk just in case.”

**Right…" He raised his wand once more. "Accio Dictionary!" The heavy book soared out of Hermione's hand, flew across the room, and Harry caught it.**

**"Harry, I really think you've got it!" said Hermione delightedly.**

**"Just as long as it works tomorrow," Harry said. "The Firebolt's going to be much farther away than the stuff in here, it's going to be in the castle, and I'm going to be out there on the grounds …"**

Lily closed her eyes. “Don’t say that. It won’t matter. Once you have the Summoning Charm, as long as you know where it is, the distance doesn’t matter.”

**"That doesn't matter," said Hermione firmly. "Just as long as you're concentrating really, really hard on it, it'll come. Harry, we'd better get some sleep … you're going to need it."**

“Yeah, you are.” James agreed. “You shouldn’t attempt to outfly a dragon without sleep.”

“I’d prefer it if he didn’t attempt to outfly a dragon in the first place.” Lily said, but smiled nonetheless.

**Harry had been focusing so hard on learning the Summoning Charm that evening that some of his blind panic had heft him. It returned in full measure, however, on the following morning. The atmosphere in the school was one of great tension and excitement. Lessons were to stop at midday, giving all the students time to get down to the dragons' enclosure – though, of course, they didn't yet know what they would find there.**

“We did.” Ginny grimaced. “Colin kept asking me why I was so pale.”

“And let me guess,” Harry sighed, “he was more hyperactive than usual?”

Ginny nodded. “I swear he must eat extra sugar in the morning. No one is that perky naturally.”

**Harry felt oddly separate from everyone around him, whether they were wishing him good luck or hissing "We'll have a box of tissues ready, Potter" as he passed.**

“So it takes a dragon to get you to ignore people like that?” Hermione asked. “I’ll have to remember that.”

**It was a state of nervousness so advanced that he wondered whether he mightn't just lose his head when they tried to lead him out to his dragon, and start trying to curse everyone in sight.**

Fred raised an eyebrow. “If you can’t tell the difference between us and a dragon, Harry, we’re going to have a bit of a problem.”

**Time was behaving in a more peculiar fashion than ever, rushing past in great dollops, so that one moment he seemed to be sitting down in his first lesson, History of Magic, and the next …**

“You actually found something that made History of Magic fly by?” Arabella asked. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

**… walking into lunch … and then (where had the morning gone? the last of the dragon-free hours?), Professor McGonagall was hurrying over to him in the Great Hall.**

Lily squeezed Harry’s hand once, then loosened her grip so that she didn’t break it during the task.

**Lots of people were watching.**

**"Potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now … You have to get ready for your first task."**

**"Okay," said Harry, standing up, his fork falling onto his plate with a clatter.**

“You did eat, didn’t you?” _Addie_ asked in concern, before Lily could.

Harry gave her a smile. “Yeah. Didn’t eat much, but Hermione made me eat something.”

“Actually, I went to the kitchens and asked the house-elves if they’d mind adding an anti-nausea potion to the food that went to the Gryffindor table.” Hermione admitted. “Figured you wouldn’t want to throw up in front of the whole school.”

**"Good luck, Harry," Hermione whispered. "You'll be fine!"**

**"Yeah," said Harry in a voice that was most unlike his own.**

“It didn’t sound that different.” Hermione assured him.

**He left the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall. She didn't seem herself either; in fact, she looked nearly as anxious as Hermione.**

James smiled. “That’s because McGonagall cares about her lions, even when she pretends she doesn’t.”

**As she walked him down the stone steps and out into the cold November afternoon, she put her hand on his shoulder.**

**"Now, don't panic," she said, "just keep a cool head … We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand … The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you …**

Lily smiled. “I knew she was my favourite for a reason.”

“Lies!” James challenged jokingly. “I thought Flitwick was your favourite.”

“Well, now I have a new favourite.” Lily retorted.

**Are you all right?"**

**"Yes," Harry heard himself say. "Yes, I'm fine."**

**She was leading him toward the place where the dragons were, around the edge of the forest, but when they approached the clump of trees behind which the enclosure would be clearly visible, Harry saw that a tent had been erected, its entrance facing them, screening the dragons from view.**

“I hated that tent.” Harry muttered, remembering what it was like to just sit and wait.

**"You're to go in here with the other champions," said Professor McGonagall, in a rather shaky sort of voice, "and wait for your turn, Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there … he'll be telling you the – the procedure …**

Harry snorted. “One thing to call it.”

**Good luck."**

**"Thanks," said Harry, in a flat, distant voice. She left him at the entrance of the tent. Harry went inside.**

**Fleur Delacour was sitting in a corner on a how wooden stool. She didn't look nearly as composed as usual, but rather pale and clammy.**

“I don’t blame her.” Hermione murmured.

“Do you know her well?” Arabella asked.

Hermione shrugged. “We talked a couple of times in the library. She doesn’t really have any real friends at Beauxbatons and I was the only Hogwarts student who bothered talking to her. Aside from the boys, of course, but that can hardly be considered ‘talking to her’. She’s actually quite nice when you get to know her.”

**Viktor Krum looked even surlier than usual, which Harry supposed was his way of showing nerves. Cedric was pacing up and down. When Harry entered, Cedric gave him a small smile …**

Again, _Addie_ smiled to herself.

**… which Harry returned, feeling the muscles in his face working rather hard, as though they had forgotten how to do it.**

**"Harry! Good-o!" said Bagman happily, looking around at him. "Come in, come in, make yourself at home!"**

**Bagman looked somehow like a slightly overblown cartoon figure, standing amid all the pale-faced champions.**

Hermione burst out laughing. “Oh, Harry, you do have a way with words!”

“I didn’t write this!” Harry protested with a grin. “Won’t deny that’s what he looked like though.”

**He was wearing his old Wasp robes again. "Well, now we're all here – time to fill you in!" said Bagman brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag" – he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them – "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face!**

“Why not just tell them?” Lily asked. “They’ll see as soon as the first champion removes it anyway.”

**There are different – er – varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too … ah, yes … your task is to collect the golden egg!"**

Jen let out a little whimper and Remus pulled her closer. “That means you’ll actually have to get close to the eggs – a nesting mother will kill from fifty feet if she thinks you’re a threat to her young.”

**Harry glanced around. Cedric had nodded once, to show that he understood Bagman's words, and then started pacing around the tent again; he looked slightly green. Fleur Delacour and Krum hadn't reacted at all. Perhaps they thought they might be sick if they opened their mouths; that was certainly how Harry felt. But they, at least, had volunteered for this …**

“That’s true.” James took Lily’s hand in the hopes that she’d break _his_ fingers instead of Harry’s when it all started.

**And in no time at all, hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent, their owners talking excitedly, laughing, joking …**

“How did they react when they saw the dragons?” Alice asked curiously.

“Awe, mostly.” Neville answered. “My legs gave out, I think; Dean and Seamus had to practically drag me into the stands.”

“We joked until we saw what it was.” Fred added grimly.

“I think I made a lot of inappropriate jokes.” Draco continued, pulling a face. “But if I’m honest, I don’t actually remember – I went into shock when I saw the dragons.”

Narcissa smiled weakly, and patted his arm.

**Harry felt as separate from the crowd as though they were a different species. And then – it seemed like about a second later to Harry – Bagman was opening the neck of the purple silk sack.**

**"Ladies first," he said, offering it to Fleur Delacour.**

“How gallant.” Lily muttered.

**She put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon – a Welsh Green.**

“Not bad.” Sirius commented. “They’re relatively easy to handle – prefer to avoid humans.”

“Unless they’re provoked.” Jen reminded him. “And I have a feeling that attacking their nest would count as provoking them.”

**It had the number two around its neck And Harry knew, by the fact that Fleur showed no sign of surprise, but rather a determined resignation, that he had been right: Madame Maxime had told her what was coming.**

**The same held true for Krum. He pulled out the scarlet Chinese Fireball.**

“Risky one.” Jen murmured. “Tolerant of their own species, but prefer humans and pigs to any other prey.”

**It had a number three around its neck. He didn't even blink, just sat back down and stared at the ground.**

**Cedric put his hand into the bag, and out came the blueish-grey Swedish Short-Snout, the number one tied around its neck.**

“Looks like he’s going first.” Addie remarked, watching her future counter-part closely. “Any wisdom on those ones, Sirius?”

“Not as well-known for human killings, but they prefer uninhabited areas anyway, so that might be why.” Sirius recited.

 _Addie_ lowered her gaze, concern flashing in her eyes. She knew Cedric would be fine, but she was still worried.

“That’s it!” Addie stated, getting to her feet. She seized her future self’s arm and dragged her to the other room. “We need to talk.”

“Don’t mind us!” _Addie_ called over her shoulder. “Well, that was weird.” She remarked as the door closed behind her.

Addie gave her a dirty look. “Just answer me one question. Are you his mother?”

“What?” _Addie_ looked bewildered. “Who?”

“Cedric.” Addie elaborated. “Are you his mother?”

 _Addie_ laughed, almost doubling over. “You’re kidding me, right?” She asked, once it had subsided, still grinning broadly. “Like I’d ever go near _that_ again.”

“Then why are you acting so concerned about him?!” Addie demanded. “You do remember what his father did, right?”

“Believe it or not, I remember very well.” _Addie_ stated, slightly coldly. “More than you do, if you can believe that. Besides, in case you hadn’t noticed, Cedric is due to be born this coming September, which means for me to be his mother, you would have to be pregnant already.”

Addie blushed, having forgotten that fact.

“There is a reason why I know Cedric, although, yes, I wish there wasn’t. You’ll find out at the end of the book, I’m sure. He is _nothing_ like his father, I promise.”

In the main room, _Sirius_ was watching in amusement as the younger students took bets on what the two were talking about. He had already guessed, given that _Addie_ had confessed the previous night that she’d become fond of Cedric over the last few weeks.

Finally, they returned and _Addie_ sat down beside him, still smirking. “She seemed to think I might be his mother.” She whispered, seeing his questioning look.

 _Sirius_ , of course, knew that she wasn’t, but he still couldn’t help the sudden image in his mind of his girlfriend in _his_ arms, an image that had plagued him for almost a year at Hogwarts, except, this time, her stomach was swollen and _his_ hand rested protectively on it.

The image flashed in her mind momentarily as he unwittingly projected it and she rolled her eyes, turning his face towards her for a chaste kiss. “Love you.” She whispered, settling against him.

 _Sirius_ smiled, wrapping an arm around her. “I know.” He nodded to Mandy, who found her place.

**Knowing what was left, Harry put his hand into the silk bag and pulled out the Hungarian Horntail …**

Lily drew in a breath. “That’s the one with the spikes, right?”

Jen nodded, looking apprehensive. “You want to know?”

Lily hesitated, then closed her eyes. “Go on.”

“They’re supposed to be the most dangerous of all dragon breeds.” Jen said slowly, watching her best friend for any signs that she should stop. “And they have the longest fire-breathing range of any dragon. They feed on humans whenever possible.”

“They’re not the worst though.” Sirius said hastily. “The Peruvian Vipertooths have such a liking for humans that the ICW had to start culling them.”

James gave his best mate a grateful smile and rubbed Lily’s arm.

**… and the number four.**

“Means you’re going last.” Remus said unnecessarily.

“I’d rather have gone first.” Harry admitted. “Get it over with.”

**It stretched its wings as he looked down at it, and bared its minuscule fangs.**

**"Well, there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see?**

“I think we figured that one out.” Regulus muttered.

**Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating.**

“How do you commentate something like that?” Arabella asked.

“With difficulty.” Hermione answered. His commentary really hadn’t added much to the event; just enough to occasionally distract the champions.

**Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now … Harry … could I have a quick word? Outside?"**

“Why?” James asked suspiciously

**"Er … yes," said Harry blankly, and he got up and went out of the tent with Bagman, who walked him a short distance away, into the trees, and then turned to him with a fatherly expression on his face.**

James gritted his teeth, but said nothing.

**"Feeling all right, Harry? Anything I can get you?"**

“Anything like what?” David asked.

**"What?" said Harry. "I – no, nothing."**

**"Got a plan?" said Bagman, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd like them, you know. I mean,"**

“But surely _that’s_ cheating!” Lily protested. “Moody is one thing, but Bagman could get Harry into serious trouble here. Oh, stop it, Padfoot!” She snapped, when Sirius opened his mouth. “You know perfectly well what I mean!”

**Bagman continued, lowering his voice still further, "you're the underdog here, Harry … Anything I can do to help …"**

“Underdog he might be, but he’s one of the organisers.” David scowled.

Regulus smirked. “Well, taking into account what Fred said about him paying them in leprechaun gold, I’d say that maybe Bagman’s got money trouble. He’s probably got a bet that Harry will win the Tournament.”

“He did.” Ginny confirmed.

**"No," said Harry so quickly he knew he had sounded rude …**

“Don’t worry about sounding rude, Harry.” Lily whispered. “He’d get you in trouble if you took his help.”

**… "no – I – I know what I'm going to do, thanks."**

**"Nobody would know, Harry," said Bagman, winking at him.**

Fred snorted. “Bullshit.” He ducked Hermione’s smack. “People always find out things like that.”

**"No, I'm fine," said Harry, wondering why he kept telling people this, and wondering whether he had ever been less fine. "I've got a plan worked out, I –"**

**A whistle had blown somewhere.**

“Cedric’s up.” Narcissa murmured.

**"Good lord, I've got to run!" said Bagman in alarm, and he hurried off.**

**Harry walked back to the tent and saw Cedric emerging from it, greener than ever. Harry tried to wish him luck as he walked past, but all that came out of his mouth was a sort of hoarse grunt.**

“I’m sure he knew what you meant.” Jen said.

**Harry went back inside to Fleur and Krum. Seconds later, they heard the roar of the crowd, which meant Cedric had entered the enclosure and was now face-to face with the living counterpart of his model.**

**It was worse than Harry could ever have imagined, sitting there and listening.**

Lily tightened her grip just slightly, knowing that it would get worse when it was Harry out there.

**The crowd screamed … yelled … gasped like a single many-headed entity …**

Hermione chuckled. “That’s one way of describing us.”

**… as Cedric did whatever he was doing to get past the Swedish Short-Snout.**

“What was it?” Jen asked curiously.

Hermione glanced at James and Lily, who were both very pale. “I’ll tell you later, if the book doesn’t. I think we explained to Harry.”

**Krum was still staring at the ground. Fleur had now taken to retracing Cedric's steps, around and around the tent. And Bagman's commentary made everything much, much worse …**

“Yeah, that didn’t help anyone.” Ginny muttered.

**Horrible pictures formed in Harry's mind as he heard: "Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow" … "He's taking risks, this one!" … "Clever move – pity it didn't work!"**

**And then, after about fifteen minutes, Harry heard the deafening roar that could mean only one thing: Cedric had gotten past his dragon and captured the golden egg.**

**"Very good indeed!" Bagman was shouting. "And now the marks from the judges!"**

**But he didn't shout out the marks; Harry supposed the judges were holding them up and showing them to the crowd.**

“Shot ribbons from their wands.” Hermione elaborated, when everyone looked at them. “Cedric got … 38 out of a possible 50.”

“Not bad.” Lily commented. “Did they mark him down on something?”

“He got slightly injured.” Ginny informed her. “Bad burn on his shoulder.”

**"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled …**

“Ominous.” Jen muttered.

**… as the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"**

**Fleur was trembling from head to foot; Harry felt more warmly toward her than he had done so far as she left the tent with her head held high and her hand clutching her wand.**

“Brave girl.” Sirius commented. “She’d have been a Gryffindor.”

“Not necessarily.” Hermione disagreed. “She’s quite intelligent.”

**He and Krum were left alone, at opposite sides of the tent, avoiding each other's gaze.**

**The same process started again …**

**"Oh I'm not sure that was wise!" they could hear Bagman shouting gleefully. "Oh … nearly! Careful now … good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"**

“I don’t think Bagman was helping.” Regulus commented.

“He wasn’t.” Fred agreed.

**Ten minutes later, Harry heard the crowd erupt into applause once more … Fleur must have been successful too. A pause, while Fleur's marks were being shown … more clapping …**

“39.” Hermione said, anticipating the question.

**… then, for the third time, the whistle.**

**"And here comes Mr. Krum!" cried Bagman, and Krum slouched out, leaving Harry quite alone.**

**He felt much more aware of his body than usual; very aware of the way his heart was pumping fast, and his fingers tingling with fear … yet at the same time, he seemed to be outside himself, seeing the walls of the tent, and hearing the crowd, as though from far away.**

**"Very daring!" Bagman was yelling, and Harry heard the Chinese Fireball emit a horrible, roaring shriek …**

Hermione shuddered, remembering the awful noise.

**… while the crowd drew its collective breath. "That's some nerve he's showing – and – yes, he's got the egg!"**

**Applause shattered the wintery air like breaking glass; Krum had finished …**

“40.” Hermione said automatically.

**… it would be Harry's turn any moment.**

**He stood up, noticing dimly that his legs seemed to be made of marshmallow. He waited. And then he heard the whistle blow.**

Mandy breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s switched to Hermione’s perspective.”

“Thank Merlin.” Lily whispered.

**“Dragons!” Ginny whimpered for what felt like the thousandth time in an hour as Viktor Krum left the arena, golden egg safely under one arm. “What were they thinking?!”**

“They weren’t.” Fred answered ‘helpfully’.

**Hermione winced as the redhead’s nails dug into her arm. “Gin, could you loosen your grip a bit?” She hissed, as ten dragon-keepers led in a very large, very angry Hungarian Horntail. “I have a feeling things are about to heat up and I’d rather you didn’t cut off my blood supply in the progress.”  
“Let’s just hope that ‘heat up’ is just a term of phrase in this instance.” Ginny muttered, loosening her grip nonetheless.**

“That didn’t last long.” Hermione muttered.

**“Hermione …” A sheepish voice said from behind her.**

“Ron.” Mandy and Arabella chorused.

**Both girls turned to glare at their ‘brother’. “What?!”  
Ron blinked at the word, hissed in unison with no small amount of venom.**

Fred chuckled. “I almost feel sorry for him. You two do venom very well.”

 _Sirius_ smirked. “Now who does that remind me of?”

 _Addie_ blushed and smacked him on the arm. “Shut up.”

**“I wanted to apologise …”**

“Isn’t he aiming it in the wrong direction?” James asked.

“No, he knows me too well.” Harry explained. “He knew I wouldn’t even consider forgiving him until he apologised to Hermione.”

**“It’s not me you have to apologise to.” Hermione told him coldly. “It’s Harry. Weren’t you the one who said that none of us would betray him?”**

Harry grimaced. “Low blow, don’t you think?”

“No.” Hermione, Ginny, Lily and _Addie_ answered together.

**Ron flinched as though he’d been struck. “I was …”**

**“Jealous, I know.” Hermione turned her gaze back to the arena, where Harry had just appeared, looking ridiculously small.**

“Oi!” Harry protested.

“Was it that bad?” James asked, eyeing his future son. “Harry’s not _that_ short.”

“You’re underestimating the size of this dragon, mate.” Fred said cheerfully.

**“Doesn’t seem like such fun now, does it?”**

“What _are_ you talking about?” Sirius asked. “Seems like great fun to me!”

Addie smacked his arm, but with no real force behind it. “Can we try to avoid commenting unless we deem it necessary please? At least until _after_ Harry’s faced the dragon. **  
**

**“No.” Ron whispered. “He’ll be alright though, won’t he?”**

**“I hope so.” Hermione said quietly. “Now ssh!”**

**Harry had raised his wand and was mouthing something – _Accio Firebolt_ , she assumed – and then there was nothing.**

“Didn’t it work?” Lily whispered.

“It did.” Harry assured her. “I just had to wait for it to get there.”

Hermione groaned. “I should have brought your broom down with me.”

Harry shrugged. “Not the end of the world.”

**Sniggers started to erupt from around her. The Slytherins down the row, smirking, pressed the buttons on their robes so they flashed _Potter Stinks_ at her.**

**“Come on …” Hermione whispered.**

**Suddenly, she heard an odd noise, like that of a wand swiping through the air, but this was continuous and she squinted in the direction of the castle to see Harry’s broom speeding towards him.**

The Marauders cheered and Lily gave them a dark look. “From now on, you speak at your own risk.” She warned.

**Hermione could hear Ludo Bagman shouting something from the commentators’ box, but she paid him no heed, solely focused on Harry, who seized his Firebolt and swung his leg over it.**

**He kicked off hard, soaring into the air, high above the Horntail. He hovered there for a second, and Hermione could almost see the Quidditch moves ticking over in his mind.**

Harry nodded in confirmation and James opened his mouth to ask if he wanted to be Captain one day, but caught Lily’s eye and closed it again hastily.

**His face was more serene than it had been for weeks and, despite her worry, she couldn’t help smiling fondly – trust Harry to use flying to relax, even under these circumstances.**

Jen chuckled. “You get that from James.”

“Jen …” Lily said.

Jen rolled her eyes and stayed silent.

**Then he dived, faster than he ever had before, and the Horntail’s head followed him. She unleashed a great ball of fire and he pulled out of the dive just in time.**

Lily bit back a scream, clutching Harry’s hand tightly.

**With a scream, Hermione’s hands flew to her mouth. Her nails were digging into her cheeks hard enough to leave marks, but she didn’t care.**

Harry smirked. “They didn’t fade for two days.”

“Harry …” Lily whispered softly, and he squeezed her hand.

**“Great Scott, he can fly!” Bagman cried. “Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?”**

Regulus let out a low whistle, but kept his mouth shut, more afraid of Lily’s temper than he cared to admit.

**Later, Hermione would endure hours of discussion between Harry and Ron about how Harry had been compared with The Viktor Krum …**

James and Sirius were both beaming, but, like Regulus, knew better than to induce Lily’s wrath right now.

**… but right now, the words seemed to wash over him as he soared higher in a wide circle, like a bird of prey coasting the thermals.**

“Potter blood.” David muttered, too quietly for Lily to hear. He had noticed it when Harry flew the day before, the similarities, not just with James, but with himself, and _his_ father too.

**“Take it easy, Harry.” Hermione murmured through her fingers. “Don’t worry about being the fastest. Just take it slow and steady.”**

“Good advice.” Remus whispered.

**In some ways, she envied James and Lily who, as spirits, could soar alongside him, but their words of comfort did nothing to soothe him.**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she was at her son’s side, but the fact that she could do nothing to help him diminished that relief significantly.

**The Horntail’s head swivelled round, watching Harry’s every move, keeping a very close eye on this threat to her nest. He plummeted again, just as another fireball erupted. He missed the flames, but the spiked tail flew up to meet him …**

_Addie_ grabbed Harry’s free hand, unable to hold back her worry any longer.

**… and Hermione screamed again as the spikes caught Harry’s shoulder, ripping his robes.**

“I was fine!” Harry said hastily, pulling his t-shirt down to show them his shoulder, marred by only the faintest scar. “It only just scraped me.”

**“He’ll be fine!” Ron grabbed her waist as she momentarily lost her control over her empathy, and staggered at the wave of emotion that hit her.**

“From the crowd.” Hermione filled in. “Not Harry.”

**“He’ll be fine. And I’m sorry.”**

_Sirius_ smiled slightly. While he didn’t agree with how Ron had acted that month, he understood what it was like to springboard from emotions into the wrong decision. He had the dark memories to prove it.

**Hermione shook her head as she gratefully accepted his hug. “Forget about it, alright? Just concentrate.”  
Ron nodded in agreement and they turned their eyes back to the sky. Harry’s face was twisted in pain, but he was flying steady, which was a good sign, and his face soon cleared.**

Despite Harry’s reassurances, Lily and _Addie_ both relaxed at that.

**Harry flew around the Horntail again, this time staying just high enough to prevent her from throwing another fireball, although close enough to remain a threat.**

**Yellow eyes remained fixed on his tiny form as he edged slowly higher, weaving this way and that, until she finally snapped, rising up from her nest, her wings unfurling, each the size of a small aircraft.**

Lily let out a whimper, finally able to visualise just how large this monster was.

**And then Harry dived, before anyone could realise he’d moved.**

“Come on, Harry.” James whispered.

**He dived faster than his first dive, faster, even, than Viktor Krum had at the World Cup, and he was closer to the ground.**

“How close?” David asked sharply.

“Closer than he was yesterday.” Hermione answered. “And it was faster than that, as well.”

Lily groaned, gripping Harry tighter.

**Even if he could manage to get his hands on the egg, he was going to crash.**

**The crowd roared, their shouts escalating to screams, as Harry scooped the egg into his arms, pulled out of the dive millimetres from the ground, and sped towards the exit to the arena, landing safely outside the blast zone.**

Everyone relaxed at once, most people started applauding, and Lily hugged Harry tightly, shakily threatening to ground him for the rest of his life if he scared her like that again.

**Heart thudding in her chest and trying desperately to steady her breathing before she started hyperventilating, Hermione lowered her hands, barely flinching as Ginny threw her arms around her in relief.**

The atmosphere in the room was lighter than it had been for several chapters.

**“Thank Merlin …” Ron whispered, embracing both of them. “Come on!”**

**The three Gryffindors raced along the row, down the steps, around the chain-link fence – pausing for a few seconds to greet Charlie …**

Fred mock-pouted. “He didn’t say hello to us.”

“He had to get the dragons back to Romania before they caused anymore damage.” Ginny told him briskly. “And you know that.”

**… who looked as relieved as they did – and into the medical tent.**

**Harry was sitting on one of the cots, his robes torn where the Horntail had struck, but the skin beneath was mercifully undamaged.**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief, and relaxed her grip entirely.

**Lily was standing at his side, berating him in a voice so high-pitched that James, who seemed to be speechless with shock and relief, frequently winced.**

James rubbed his ear. “Was it that bad?”

“I think only dogs could understand her.” Hermione said cheerfully.

Harry chuckled. “You were almost as bad, Mione.”

**“Harry, you were brilliant!” Hermione cried. Her voice was squeaky, but she ignored it, hugging him with trembling arms, and whispered, “You mum would like to request that you never do something like that again.”**

Lily gave Harry a pointed look and he smiled. “I promise, Mum, I will never outfly a Hungarian Horntail again.”

“I didn’t mean it that specifically, Harry.” Lily sighed.

**“Done.” Harry grinned. “Thanks for the message.”  
“That was amazing!” Ginny hugged him as well, her movements just as shaky.**

**Hermione saw James narrow his eyes and followed his gaze to where Ron was standing awkwardly in the entrance of the tent. She cleared her throat and nudged him forwards.**

**“Harry,” Ron began seriously, “whoever put your name in that Goblet … I recon they’re trying to do you in.”**

Sirius clapped slowly. “Well done.” **  
**

**“Caught on, have you?” Harry asked coolly. “Took you long enough.”**

**Hermione and Ginny both stepped back, exchanging a nervous glance.**

**“Look, mate, I’m sorry.” Ron sighed. “I’ve been a complete and utter prat, alright? I know that. I should have known you wouldn’t have entered your name, and I’ll understand if you never talk to me again.”**

“Harry’s going to forgive him.” Lily predicted.

“What makes you say that?” James asked, clearly not in any mood to spare Ron.

“Because it’s what you’d do.” Lily said simply.

**“Forget it.” Harry told him.**

Lily smiled.

**“But …” Ron began.**

**“Brothers fight.” Harry interrupted. “Don’t they?”**

**Ron nodded with a faint smile. “But they’re still brothers.”**

Sirius grinned at Remus, who had said something similar after the Willow Incident.

 _“He’s an idiot. But he’s still my brother.”_ **  
**

**“Right.” Harry agreed. “Just trust me in future, alright?”  
“I will.” Ron vowed. “I knew I was being irrational … and when Charlie told me about the dragons …”**

“He knew?!” Jen demanded.

Hermione smiled slightly. “Wait for it …”

**“He told you?!” Ginny demanded. “Why didn’t you say anything?!”  
“I did!” Ron protested. “Remember? I told Hermione that Seamus had told me that Parvati told Dean that Hagrid wanted to see you. Well, Seamus never told me anything, so it was me all along.**

James gaped at the book. “… What?”

**I thought we’d be alright once you’d figured that out.”**

**Harry stared at him. “Who could possibly figure all that out?”**

“Ron.” Fred said innocently.

**Ron sighed. “It was a bit mental, wasn’t it?” He shrugged. “I guess I was a bit distraught.”**

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “Boys.”**

**"Harry, c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores …"**

**Picking up the golden egg and his Firebolt, Harry ducked out of the tent, Ron by his side, talking fast, followed by Hermione and Ginny, feeling more elated than they would have believed possible an hour ago.**

**"You were the best, you know, no competition.**

Fred nodded fervently. “Definitely.”

**Cedric did this weird thing where he Transfigured a rock on the ground … turned it into a dog … he was trying to make the dragon go for the dog instead of him.**

“Not bad.” James commented.

**Well, it was a pretty cool bit of Transfiguration, and it sort of worked, because he did get the egg, but he got burned as well – the dragon changed its mind halfway through and decided it would rather have him than the Labrador …**

Jen winced. “Ouch.”

“Was he alright?” Lily asked.

Harry nodded. “Madam Pomfrey fixed him right up.”

**… he only just got away. And that Fleur girl …**

“That Fleur girl?” Arabella repeated in amusement.

**… tried this sort of charm, I think she was trying to put it into a trance – well, that kind of worked too, it went all sleepy …**

“Veela magic?” Jen guessed.

“Could be.” Regulus agreed. “At the very least, it’d have to be stronger than your regular, run-of-the-mill sleeping charm.”

**… but then it snored, and this great jet of flame shot out …**

The Marauders sniggered.

**… and her skirt caught fire – she put it out with a bit of water out of her wand.** **And Krum – you won't believe this, but he didn't even think of flying!**

James beamed.

**He was probably the best after you, though. Hit it with some sort of spell right in the eye.**

_Sirius_ nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.”

**Only thing is, it went trampling around in agony and squashed half the real eggs – they took marks off for that, he wasn't supposed to do any damage to them."**

Lily frowned. “How come Fleur got less than Krum then? She didn’t even get injured.”

“I think they factored in time as well.” Ginny explained. “And he did get it done quite quickly.”

**Ron drew breath as they reached the edge of the enclosure. Now that the Horntail had been taken away, they could see where the five judges were sitting clearly – right at the other end, in raised seats draped in gold.**

**"It's marks out of ten from each one," Ron said, and the first judge – Madame Maxime – raised her wand in the air. What looked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure eight.**

Everyone from the past applauded.

**"Not bad!" said Ron as the crowd applauded. "I suppose she took marks off for your shoulder …"**

“Probably.” Remus agreed.

**Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air.**

“That’s seventeen.” Jen summarised, as everyone clapped again.

**"Looking good!" Ron yelled, thumping Harry on the back.**

**Next, Dumbledore. He too put up a nine.**

“Twenty-six.” Jen said, grinning.

**The crowd was cheering harder than ever.**

**Ludo Bagman – ten.**

“ _Thirty_ -six.” Jen corrected, but was frowning. “He must have a bet on – Harry got hurt; he shouldn’t be giving him full marks.”

“Don’t complain!” James told her, jumping up and down in his seat. “Harry’s only five marks away from beating Krum!”

Regulus snorted. “That’s not going to happen.” He smiled lightly at the looks he was getting. “What? Does anyone really think Karkaroff’s going to mark fairly?”

**"Ten?" said Harry in disbelief. "But … I got hurt … What's he playing at?"**

**"Harry, don't complain!" Ron yelled excitedly.**

**And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment …**

“Calculating how much he can give him so that he doesn’t overtake his champion.” Jen scowled. “Git.”

**… and then a number shot out of his wand too – four.**

“Which leaves Harry with forty points.” Remus concluded, since Jen was too busy muttering unsavoury things about Karkaroff under her breath. “He and Krum are tied for first place.”

James ruffled Harry’s hair, beaming. “That’s my boy.”

**"What?" Ron bellowed furiously. "Four? You lousy, biased scumbag, you gave Krum ten!"**

**But looking at Harry, Hermione knew he wouldn’t have cared if Karkaroff had given him zero; Ron's indignation on his behalf would be worth about a hundred points to him.**

Harry nodded. “It was.”

**And it wasn't just Ron … those weren't only Gryffindors cheering in the crowd. When it had come to it, when they had seen what he was facing, most of the school had been on his side as well as Cedric's.**

“Even the Slytherins.” Draco said, when everyone looked at him.

Lily frowned. “Wait, so what’s the unexpected task then?”

Mandy chuckled. “I’m not done yet, Lils. Not even close – this is a long one.”

**By the middle of December, things had mostly returned to normal for the ‘Golden Trio’, with the only noticeable difference being that Harry was more inclined to listen to Hermione when she urged them to do their homework.**

“We’ve lost him!” Fred wailed, dissolving into ‘tears’ as James reached around Harry to pat him on the shoulder.

Lily rolled her eyes at both of them.

**Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the golden egg.**

Sirius frowned. “What?”

**The prize from the first task turned out to contain a clue leading to the second …**

“Ah.”

“When was the second task?” Lily asked.

“February 24th.” Hermione answered.

**… but opening it at the Gryffindor after-party had done nothing but release a high-pitched wail that had Seamus guessing at a banshee …**

“They wouldn’t bring in a banshee.” James said.

“They brought in a dragon.” Lily argued.

“But banshees are considered part-human.” Remus explained. “It would cause too much trouble.”

**… Neville worrying about the Cruciatus Curse …**

Alice put an arm around his shoulders.

**… and Fred and George warning Harry that he’d have to attack Percy in the shower, because it sounded like him singing.**

Ginny laughed. “It did actually.”

**Satisfied by Harry’s insistences that he was working on it …**

Hermione glared at him. “Working on it, my arse.”

Harry grinned sheepishly. “Sorry?”

Jen was frowning at the book. “How can a ‘high-pitched wail’ be considered a clue?”

**… Hermione found herself in the library, a week from the end of term, trying to finish her Transfiguration essay. She still had a bad feeling, but Harry’s outstanding performance in the first task had provided her with a boost of confidence, and the only things worrying her now were Rita Skeeter, Hagrid’s Skrewts, Karkaroff, Hogwarts’ apparent problem with Dumbledore and, of course, the Yule Ball.**

“Ah, of course.” David smiled. “That’s the unexpected task.”

“The Yule Ball is a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament.” _Sirius_ explained, seeing the students look a bit lost. “The champions have to open it.”

 _Addie_ frowned. “But Hogwarts balls are normally open to fifth year and above only – Harry would have to find an older date.”

“They changed it.” Hermione told her. “Fourth years and above only, unless an older student invited you.”

“Thank Merlin.” Harry muttered. “Finding a date would have been a _lot_ harder otherwise.”

**Professor McGonagall had announced the Yule Ball at the end of their Transfiguration lesson, although Hermione wasn’t altogether sure Harry and Ron heard her …**

“Oh, we did.” Harry said darkly.

**… because they were having a sword fight with Fred and George’s fake wands, which had turned into a tin parrot and a rubber haddock respectively.**

James and Sirius sniggered.

**Everyone else had certainly heard though; nothing else was talked about anymore, especially among the female population.**

Sirius groaned. “Oh great …”

 _Addie_ sighed. “And that is why I was so happy I had the dorm-mates I did in seventh year. Alice came and took refuge in the end.”

Hermione scowled at her. “Lucky you.”

**Everywhere Hermione looked, the Yule Ball seemed to have taken over, especially in her dorm room as gossip about dresses, make-up, hair and boys (of course) seemed to reverberate through the walls.**

**There was nowhere she could escape from it, even here in the library, she realised, as giggles arose from the table behind her.**

“You poor thing.” Lily sympathised. “Did you say there was a Christmas Eve ball in seventh year, Addie?”

 _Addie_ nodded. “You and James talked the teachers into it.”

**She glanced up, exchanging a small consolatory smile with Madam Pince, who was glaring at the girls in question, and sighed, trying to focus on her work. She couldn’t care less about who had just asked whom to the Ball, but she couldn’t help but feel slightly envious. She doubted anyone was about to line up to ask _her_ out.**

Hermione blushed slightly and she glared at the book. “Stupid future people.” She muttered.

“You or me, Mione.” Harry reminded her lightly. “And that’s because most of the boys at Hogwarts are idiots.”

**Hermione’s empathy picked up a hint of irritation, and she looked up again, raising a questioning eyebrow as Harry collapsed into the seat opposite her.**

Now it was Harry’s turn to turn red and Hermione smirked at him. “If I go down, I’m taking you down with me.”

**“This is hopeless!” He proclaimed loudly, causing Madam Pince to look over and hiss a warning at him.**

**Hermione sighed. “What’s wrong?”**

**“This bloody Yule Ball, that’s what’s wrong!” Harry told her heatedly, but in a quieter voice.**

**Hermione heaved another sigh as Madam Pince glared in their direction again. This was hardly the place for this conversation – the table behind her had suddenly gone quiet as the girls began to eavesdrop.**

Harry grimaced. “Didn’t realise my predicament was that entertaining.”

Hermione shrugged. “They just realised you might not have a date yet.”

**Yet another annoyed sigh slipped past her lips as another group of girls filed in, one of them with a Bulgarian scarf tied around her waist.**

Lily tutted. “Oh, honestly!”

**_Great. Just what I need._ **

**Viktor Krum spent a lot of time in the library. Normally, Hermione wouldn’t have minded – he was quiet and didn’t disturb her, so why should she? Unfortunately, he also had a self-proclaimed ‘fan club’ that followed him everywhere and it was impossible to concentrate with them around.**

**“Come on.” She muttered to Harry, closing her book. “Let’s go somewhere else.”**

**Apparently, she wasn’t the only one trying to avoid them. The two Gryffindors reached the doors just as Viktor Krum did.**

“What’s the point in being famous if you don’t want the perks?” James asked.

 _Sirius_ grinned. “Prongs … you do know you’re famous, right?”

James looked at Lily, who was smiling at him. “Oh … that’s why.”

**He held the door for them, acknowledging his fellow champion with a nod.**

**It was Hermione he spoke to, though.**

“Why?” Arabella asked curiously.

Mandy shot her an amused glance. “If you let me read, we might find out.”

**“Excuse me, may I haff a vord?”**

**Hermione glanced at Harry, who shrugged at her. “Alright,” she said slowly. “I’ll meet you under the beech tree, Harry.” Adjusting her Transfiguration book in her arms, she followed him to an alcove, where he turned to face her, his smile making him look far less surly than he had at the World Cup.**

“Amazing how that happens, isn’t it?” Jen commented, glancing at Draco.

**“Ve met at the Vorld Cup.”**

“Really?” Arabella asked mildly. “You’d think you’d remember meeting an international Quidditch star.”

**He said unnecessarily. “Herm-own-ninny?”**

Hermione glared at Fred and Draco, both of whom had sniggered. “It’s a difficult name.”

“Of course it is, Herman.” Harry said innocently, ducking the pillow that flew at him.

**“Hermione.” She corrected, shaking his offered hand. “Yes, we did.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see James and Lily unashamedly eavesdropping …**

Lily blushed, but James just shrugged. “Can you blame us?”

**… and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.**

**“I vas wondering,” Viktor continued, “if you vould accompany me to the Yule Ball.”**

Silence fell, and Hermione leaned back against the sofa cushions, smirking at their stunned faces.

“I …” Jen hesitated. “I was not expecting that. And I realise that sounds quite mean, but it’s nothing to do with you, Hermione.”

“Oh, I know.” Hermione told her. “I was just as shocked, I promise.”

**Hermione’s eyes widened with shock and she only just caught her book before it fell to the floor.**

_Sirius_ chuckled. “Isn’t that how you reacted when I first asked you out?” He asked _Addie_ casually.

She rolled her eyes. “No, my response was ‘Why the hell would I want to do that?’”

 _Sirius_ shrugged. “Close enough.”

**“Wh-what? Out of all the girls in this castle, you’re asking a fourth year who barely glances in the mirror before she leaves the dorm?”**

“You can’t take that as a bar of attractiveness.” Lily argued. “Look at Addie – she _never_ looks in a mirror.”

“That’s because I have a chronic fear of my reflection.” _Addie_ said flatly, leaving everyone wonder if she was joking or not.

 _Sirius_ gave her a warning look. “Ads, we’ve been through this.”

 _Addie_ sighed. “I know,” she said in the same tone, “I’m perfect.”

Addie snorted. “The hell I am.” She muttered.

“But,” _Addie_ ’s lips twitched in a smile, though her voice stayed perfectly emotionless, “I am to him and that’s what matters.”

 _Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “See if I say ridiculously cheesy things to you anymore.”

Lily stared at them for a few seconds, unsure whether they were messing around, before turning back to Hermione. “My point is, Addie never looks in a mirror, and she’s stunning. Don’t,” she warned, pointing at Addie, “you are, and the whole school knows it, even if you don’t.”

**“You haff a best friend who is famous also.” Viktor pointed out. “You do not get … vot is the vord?”**

“Oh, that makes sense.” Arabella murmured.

“Well, why wouldn’t he ask her?” Harry asked.

Arabella smiled. “There’s no reason, Harry, but it still stands that Viktor is eighteen. Most eighteen-year-olds wouldn’t look twice at a fourteen-year-old.”

**“Star-struck?” Hermione suggested, knowing that it was true. “Look, I’m flattered – really, I am – but …”**

**“I do not mean this to be a date.” He interrupted. “I haff a girlfriend in Bulgaria I love very much, but as a champion I need somevon to accompany me.**

“And she couldn’t come for the ball?” Jen asked, slightly sceptically.

“No, Katarina, believe it or not, is quite a shy person, so no one outside Viktor’s family knows they’re together, and she’s a year younger than him, so she wasn’t part of the delegation.” Hermione explained. “We’ve stayed in contact over the summer.”

**I vould rather it be somevon I can talk to and is not using me for my fame.”**

Harry was nodding in agreement.

**“Just as friends?” Hermione clarified.**

**“Just as friends.” He repeated.**

**Hermione hesitated, her eyes flickering towards James and Lily.**

“And how are you going to ask us?” Lily asked.

**Unable to ask aloud, she casually lifted her left hand and scratched her temple.**

James frowned. “Is she doing what I think she’s doing?”

**_What do you think?_ **

“Yes.” Sirius answered in a whisper. “She is. But … But … How?”

Mandy smiled. “Luckily for you, Sirius, that very question is about to be answered.”

**At the end of third year, after Sirius had escaped with Buckbeak, the trio had decided that it might be a good idea if they had some form of sign language that they could use, just in case something like what happened in the Shack happened again.**

“Yeah, but the same one we use?” Sirius asked.

“You have your own sign language?” David questioned.

“It’s not really a sign language.” Addie answered, when no one else did. “There are a few … gestures, for want of a better word, that have phrases attached to them.”

“How did you decide on them?” Regulus asked.

“Cross between random signs and animal instincts.” Sirius explained. “When we’re in animal form, we can have quite detailed conversations just through basic instinct. But it doesn’t explain how they know it.”

**(“Yeah, but Sirius and Professor Lupin are the good guys,” Ron had argued. “But they might not have been,” Harry had retorted.)**

David gave Harry a proud smile. “That’s my grandson.”

**Harry had admitted to them that there were a few gestures that he seemed to associate with different messages or phrases. When he had mentioned this in his letters to Arabella and Mandy, they had told him that the Marauders had also used a form of sign language that used those very movements.**

**Hermione guessed that he had picked it up subconsciously around his parents, the same way he had begun learning to talk.**

“So you’re bilingual.” Alice concluded. “Except your second language is non-verbal.”

Harry nodded. “Pretty much, yeah.”

**“Go for it.” Lily said with a smile.**

**“Don’t trust him.” James disagreed instantly.**

Jen sniggered. “Well done, Mr and Mrs Potter. United front all the way.”

Lily rolled her eyes at her. “James, Hermione wouldn’t even be considering it if she’d picked up anything in the air.”

James sighed. “Lils, I haven’t said that yet. Besides, I’m probably just filling in. Padfoot’s not there to play overprotective father figure.”

“Sirius was fine with it.” Hermione argued.

 _Sirius_ snorted. “The hell I was. I just trust you a hell of a lot more than I trust him.” He explained, when Hermione looked startled.

**With a barely audible sigh, Hermione extended her empathy, finding nothing that would suggest Viktor was a threat to her. “Okay then.” She agreed. “Where should I meet you?”**

**“Outside our ship.” Viktor told her.**

“That, I don’t like.” Jen frowned. “There might be nothing wrong with Krum, but I wouldn’t go near Karkaroff with a …”

“He wouldn’t have tried anything, not while Viktor was there.” Hermione interrupted. “Wants to keep him on his good side.”

**“I haff to valk in vith my school.”**

**Hermione nodded understandingly. “That makes sense. Alright, I’ll see you then.” She departed with a wave and headed outside, to where Harry was lounging under the beech tree.**

**“What did he want?” Harry asked as she approached, obviously trying not to sound suspicious and failing miserably.**

Harry pouted. “And here I thought I did a good job.”

Hermione patted him on the arm. “Of course you did, dear.”

Harry growled and muttered something that sounded a lot like ‘patronising’ and ‘best friends’.

**Hermione shrugged, her expression blank. “To hex me until I was unconscious and stuff me in a broom cupboard – I only just got away.”  
“What?!” Harry jumped to his feet, drawing his wand. “Where is he?!”**

“Gryffindor.” Draco muttered.

**“I was being sarcastic, Harry!” Hermione sighed, settling down on the grass and tugging him down beside her. “Flattered though I am that you’re willing to curse someone older and with more training just to defend me.”**

“Well, of course I am.” Harry said, rolling his eyes. “You’re my best friend.”

“You might belong in Gryffindor where dwell the brave at heart,” Ginny recited, smirking at Draco, seeing that he’d just made the same point, “Their daring, nerve and chivalry set Gryffindors apart.”

**Harry scowled at her. “Don’t do that.”**

**“What’s bothering you, Harry?” Hermione asked, ignoring him.**

**Harry sighed. “The dance thing. And the date thing. I can’t dance.**

James chuckled. “Oh, Harry …”

“Leave him alone.” Lily chided. “It’s not like you know how to dance.”

Jen sniggered. “No, Lil, James does know. He just doesn’t advertise it.”

James flushed under his girlfriend’s gaze. “Of course I know, Lily. I’m a pureblood. Moreover, I’m a rich pureblood. And what does that mean?”

“Ministry balls.” Draco, Neville, Addie, David, Regulus, Sirius, _Sirius_ , _Addie_ and Jen answered in unison.

“Emily taught James to dance when he was eight.” David continued. “It was …”

“It was one of the last things she ever did.” James finished in a whisper.

Lily rested her head on his shoulder and gestured for Mandy to keep reading.

**And how are you supposed to ask a girl out if they move in packs all the time?!”**

“Oh, Harry …” Ginny sighed, miraculously keeping a straight face. “Harry, Harry, Harry.”

“You should have written to me.” _Sirius_ told him. “Don’t keep things bottled up.”

 _Addie_ looked horrified. “Harry, if you ever find yourself in this predicament, for the love of all that is holy, write to Remus, NOT Sirius, alright?”

Harry nodded, trying not to laugh. “Alright.”

**“I’ve failed my son!” James wailed. “How could this have happened?!”  
“Oh, shut up!” Lily said, rolling her eyes. “It’s not like you were a Casanova yourself!”**

Lily snorted. “No, he was not.”

Harry perked up. “You never did tell me what they said, Hermione.”

Hermione smirked. “Now you’ll know.” **  
**

**“Excuse me?” James looked affronted. “I’ll have you know, Lily, that women threw themselves at my feet.”**

James tightened his arm around Lily’s waist. “I love you.”

Lily chuckled. “I know.”

Harry looked faintly disturbed. “Is that true?” He whispered to _Addie_.

She smiled at him. “Oh, yes. Sirius more so than James, but they both had a certain gift when it came to the females of Hogwarts.”

“Pity it never worked on you, really.” _Sirius_ responded to her smirk.

“Never?” _Addie_ questioned, glancing down at their joined hands.

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “Alright, good point.” **  
**

**Lily raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”**

**“I ignored them, of course.” James amended instantly, with a charming smile. “How could I not with you around?**

Sirius coughed loudly. “Whipped.”

**But they were there, all the same.”  
“Nice save.” Lily remarked, her lips twitching. “But that doesn’t change the fact that it took you a year and a half to get me to go out with you …**

“Did it?” Harry asked in surprise. He had just always assumed that his parents fell in love immediately.

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “James told me and Jen he was going to marry Lily the second he laid eyes on her.”

Lily turned to James. “Really?”

James blushed. “Thanks Padfoot.”

“No problem.” _Sirius_ said cheerfully. “But because we were all friends, he never managed to ask her out until the end of third year, except he was joking when he did it …”

“Because Sirius used to ask me out in the most bizarre ways sometimes,” _Addie_ continued with a smile, “so James was mocking him. Lily’s refusals were partly her mocking me and partly because your father had a big head back then and she was waiting for it to deflate.”

“At the beginning of fifth year, he stopped joking around,” Lily added, “except I never got the memo, so I kept knocking him back, quite meanly sometimes.” She pointed at Addie. “I blame her.”

Mandy smirked and read the next line.

**... whereupon you told me you were in love with me and ran away.”**

Harry laughed. “Really?”

 _Addie_ nodded. “Sirius and Remus cursed his seat at breakfast one morning so he’d say the first thing that came into his head. He was looking at Lily, the first thing he said was “I think I’m in love with you”, and as soon as he realised what he’d said, he grabbed a piece of toast and tore out of the hall so fast you’d have thought Voldemort himself was after him.”

“So I chased him down,” Lily said, smiling at her boyfriend, “and told him that I love him too.”

“I should have hexed your seat.” _Sirius_ remarked, looking at _Addie_. “Would have solved a lot of problems.”

“And created new ones.” _Addie_ reminded him gently. “I wasn’t ready, Sirius – I would never have forgiven you.”

**Hermione burst out laughing. “You’re kidding me?!”**

Hermione winced. “Sorry, Harry.”

**“Hey!” Harry protested, looking hurt. “It’s a valid question!”**

**“Sorry, Harry!” Hermione said, still giggling. “I’m not laughing at you, I promise. Now,” she turned to him, giving herself a moment to order her thoughts, “let’s take the dating thing first.**

“Good idea.” Lily approved.

**If you were Ron, I’d ask you who you want to ask, but you’re not Ron, you’re you.”**

“Good observation.” Fred teased.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Thanks.” **  
**

**“And that changes things?” Harry asked blankly.**

**Hermione smiled at him. “Not usually. But you have to open the Ball, Harry. Everyone is going to be watching you – do you really want the added pressure of a first date?**

Lily was nodding in agreement, looking relieved that someone was there to give her son advice.

**You’re better off asking someone you know quite well, who you can have a laugh with. Plus, you’re guaranteed that they’re not there with the Boy-Who-Lived.” She glanced at Lily, who was nodding emphatically. “Your mum agrees with me, if that means anything.”**

“It did.” Harry said softly.

**Harry considered this for a few minutes, staring out across the still surface of the lake. A large tentacle lifted lazily into the air, snagged a passing bird, and sank below the water again, leaving only ripples in its wake.**

**“You’re right.” He said eventually.**

“Are you surprised?” Draco drawled.

**“As always.” Turning to face her, he gave her a charming smile that made her stomach seem to vanish.**

Hermione turned bright red and Harry raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Oh dear.” Lily sighed, but she was smiling. “He’s got his father’s smile.”

“That’s my boy.” James grinned.

“How much had you eaten that day?” Mandy asked.

“Erm …” Hermione thought back. “Now that you mention it, I didn’t eat much lunch, and it was nearly dinner.”

“That explains it.” Mandy said, nodding. “Even we fell victim to James and Sirius a few times, when we hadn’t eaten for a few hours.”

**“Mione, you know you love me …”**

**The sentence trailed off, and Hermione fought to catch up with his implied question. _Good Lord, I’m his best friend and he can throw me off-guard with a smile. If he ever figures this out, no girl in Hogwarts would be able to resist._**

Harry smirked. “Really?”

“Don’t even think about it.” Hermione and Lily said sharply.

**“Er, yes, Harry, I do, and if we were having this conversation yesterday, I’d have said yes in a second, but … I already have a date. I’m sorry.”  
“You …” Harry broke off, his face a palate of emotions. “Krum?”**

“Which emotions?” Lily asked curiously.

Hermione tilted her head, thinking hard. “Surprise … concern … suspicion …”

Harry nodded. “That about sums it up.”

**“Yes.” Hermione confirmed cautiously. “I’m a big girl, Harry; we’re just going as friends.” Dimly, she wondered why she had told Harry that …**

“Why did you?” James asked.

“After how he reacted to Ron?” Hermione questioned.

**… then remembered what he’d said about Ron when he’d nearly cursed her.**

**“Hermione, what you do is up to you.” Harry told her. “As long as he treats you well, I don’t have a problem with it. It’s not like he could lie to you, is it?**

“That’s true.” Arabella murmured.

**Not with your … gift.” He grinned suddenly. “Do you want to tell Ron or shall I?”**

Fred snorted. “There’s the question.”

**“I’m not saying anything until the Yule Ball.” Hermione smirked. “Hopefully, he won’t kick up as much of a fuss with that many witnesses.”**

“Don’t count on it.” Ginny scowled.

**“Don’t count on it.” Harry muttered …**

The two pseudo-siblings exchanged a grin.

**… shifting slightly. “Hermione … you don’t think … I mean … he doesn’t … you know … _like_ you, does he?”**

Everyone sat forward, especially _Sirius_ , who clearly hadn’t even thought about it.

**Hermione frowned. “Harry, I know he’s been a bit horrible to me in the past sometimes, but we’re still friends.”**

Fred snickered. “I don’t think that was what he meant.”

**“No,” Harry sighed, his face rather red …**

“Awkward conversation.” Jen sang.

**… “I mean _like_ you, like you.”  
“Oh.” Hermione was silent for a few seconds. “No.” She said finally.**

_Sirius_ breathed a sigh of relief.

 _Addie_ caught it and smirked. “Hey, Harry, Hermione, you two should get together.”

“What?!” They asked in unison.

 _Addie_ nodded, ignoring _Sirius_ ’s incredulous expression. “You should.”

“Why?” Hermione asked slowly.

“Because I want to know whose side Sirius would take if you break up.” _Addie_ answered.

Harry laughed. “That’s a good question.”

 _Sirius_ frowned. “You’re all mean to me.”

**“At least I don’t _think_ so.**

“You can be rather oblivious.” Ginny commented, her eyes flickering to Harry. “Then again, you’re not the only one. But I don’t think Ron has that sort of feelings for you.”

**I certainly haven’t picked anything like that up. Why do you ask?”**

**Harry dropped his gaze, pulling at the grass by his side. “Just that … Ginny mentioned something the other day about you two bickering like an old married couple.”**

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Thing is, Harry, they’re _not_ an old married couple, which means they’d never work. Most couples start fighting like that after sixty-odd years together, because they’ve worn on each other’s last nerve. Hermione and Ron have already done that, after three years.”

“We’d done it after one.” Hermione corrected.

**Hermione pulled a face. “When we _bicker_ we might sound like a married couple, Harry, but then we could also sound just like Ron and Ginny do – like brother and sister.**

Ginny nodded in agreement. “True.”

**Most of our arguments are just that – arguments. Far too damaging and far too long to be healthy in a romantic relationship.**

“Also true.” Lily agreed.

**Hell, it’s a miracle a platonic relationship has lasted, if it weren’t for you, I really don’t think it would have done.”**

**Harry nodded, looking slightly relieved. “That’s good. I was worried that you two would hook up, break up and then I’d have to take sides.”**

**Hermione smiled softly. “Even if he did have feelings for me, Harry, he put me through too much over the last few years for me to be able to think of him that way.**

_Sirius_ relaxed completely.

**He’s like my brother, and I love him despite every single one of his flaws, but that’s all.” Her smile shifted into a smirk. “Not a word about Viktor, understood?”**

“But if Ron doesn’t have feelings for you, why would you going with Viktor be a problem?” Lily asked.

“Firstly, Hermione didn’t have the hero-worship that Ron did, and yet Krum showed her more attention than he did Ron.” Ginny answered. “Secondly, Ron hadn’t quite … realised that he saw Hermione as a sister, so he’d feel as protective as he would of me, but not realise why and …”

“Subsequently act like an arse.” Jen finished sweetly.

Ginny nodded. “Exactly.” **  
**

**“My lips are sealed.” Harry assured her. “So who do you think I should ask?”**

**Hermione thought about it for a few seconds, running through all of the girls in their year. It was probably best if it was someone their age.**

“Probably,” James agreed, “if it’s going to be someone he knows. Unless he took one of the three chasers.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t even think of them.”

“They already had dates.” Fred pointed out. “Alicia went with Lee, Katie went with George, and Angie went with me.”

“Angelina didn’t already have a date.” Hermione smirked. “You hadn’t asked her yet.”

“Story?” Addie guessed.

Harry sniggered. “Two days later, when Ron still didn’t have a date, he asked Fred who he was going with. Fred said Angelina, at which point Hermione said, “Have you already asked her then?””

Hermione smirked. “To which Fred replied, “That’s a good point. Oi! Angelina! Go to the Ball with me?””

 _Addie_ rolled her eyes. “That’s something this idiot would do. Something he has done actually.”

“That wasn’t the Ball, Ads.” _Sirius_ reminded her mildly. “That was the February Hogsmeade trip in fifth year.”

 _Addie_ looked at him incredulously. “I should be surprised that you can tell me when it was, but I’m not.”

“Wait a second.” Jen frowned. “Fred, I thought you said George liked Alicia? Why’d he go with Katie?”

“Because they were still in their awkward we-don’t-really-like-each-other-we’re-just-really-good-friends stage.” Fred explained. “So George went with Katie, and Alicia went with Lee. They swapped halfway through the evening and needed to be pried apart by the end of it.”

“Katie and Lee as well?” Ginny asked innocently. “I thought Katie had a thing for Oliver.”

“She does?” Fred frowned. “Huh. Maybe we shouldn’t keep owling him to get over it then.”

**_Let’s see … Can’t be a Slytherin._ **

“What’s wrong with Slytherin?” Narcissa asked.

Hermione sighed, and counted them off. “Pansy Parkinson, Death Eater in training. Millicent Bulstrode, ditto. Artemis Moon, don’t talk to her enough to be able to judge her. Tracy Davis, neutral, but gives off a really strong don’t-even-think-about-it vibe. Daphne Greengrass is a nice girl when you talk to her, but …”

“Hermione?” Mandy interrupted. “You’re about to explain that in your head.”

“Oh.” Hermione sat back. “Go on then.”

**_Daphne Greengrass is the only decent one that I can think of, but it would be social suicide for her and he’d never hear the end of it._ **

“Ah.” Narcissa nodded. “That does make sense.”

**_Ravenclaw … Let’s see, that’s Mandy Brocklehurst, Su Li, Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin. Well, Lisa’s got nothing in common with him at all – they’d have nothing to talk about even if he did know her._ **

Draco grimaced, nodding in agreement. He and Hermione both had Ancient Runes with Lisa.

**_Mandy and Su are both too shy, they’d never handle the attention … or the gossip. Padma could work, but … No, she might be the smarter sister, but she’s still far too shallow._ **

Hermione never got along with Padma, but she couldn’t help feeling guilty for leaving her with Ron, who by all accounts had been a truly rubbish date.

**_Hufflepuff then … Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and Megan Jones._ **

“Jones is too shy.” Draco commented. “She wouldn’t handle it either.”

“How do you know her?” Narcissa asked.

“I have Arithmancy with her.” Draco explained.

“What subjects did you take?” Narcissa prompted. “I don’t think you ever said.”

“Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures.” Draco answered.

**_Megan’s too shy, so she’s out. I think Susan’s got a thing for Neville …_ **

Neville pulled a face. “Hermione!”

“I didn’t know she was your cousin!” Hermione protested. “How was I supposed to know?”

**_… and Hannah’s dating Ernie Macmillan, so it can’t be either of those. Pity, really, because they’d both have been a good choice._ **

“They would.” Ginny agreed. “But it all worked out in the end.”

**_As for Gryffindor, I’ve got a date, Lavender’s going Seamus and Parvati’s worse than her sister. Plus, I think Dean’s got his eye on her._ **

“He does.” Harry confirmed.

**_Last thing we need is another fight in the boys’ dorm._ **

**Hermione sighed, shaking her head. “I can’t think of anyone right …” She trailed off, catching sight of Neville and Ginny making their way towards her, laughing about something. “What about your sister?”**

Lily beamed. “Now _that’s_ a good idea.”

“One I couldn’t believe I hadn’t had yet.” Hermione agreed.

**“I don’t have a …” Harry stopped, following her gaze. “There’s an idea.”**

**“Hi.” Hermione greeted as their classmates reached them. “You two have dates for the Yule Ball yet?”**

**“No.” Ginny answered, as Neville blushed and shook his head. “Boys have asked me, and I’d love to go, but I don’t feel comfortable dating yet, so …”**

“Perfect scenario.” Lily said happily. **  
**

**Harry cleared his throat. “In that case, Miss Weasley, care to solve two problems at once?”  
Ginny sat down on the grass beside him. “That depends entirely, Mr Potter, on what you have in mind.”**

**“Would you go to the Ball with me?” Harry elaborated. “As friends, obviously. That way, you can go to the Ball, without having to start dating before you feel ready, and I can open the Ball without worrying about being _on_ a date.”**

**Ginny smiled. “Thanks Harry. That sounds great. Who are you going with, Hermione?”  
Hermione grinned and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Viktor Krum.”**

“Mind-blown!” Ginny chuckled.

**Ginny gasped. “No way!”**

**“Who?” Neville asked.**

**“Don’t ask.” Harry warned.**

“Thanks.” Neville chuckled. “I didn’t need to know.”

**“First of all, you won’t believe it. Second of all, you want plausible deniability for when Ron blows up at her.”**

“He didn’t, did he?” Sirius asked.

“It was more of a simmering anger than an explosion,” Hermione conceded, “but I did get both barrels eventually.”

**Neville winced at the thought. “Fair enough.”**

**“What about you, mate?” Harry asked. “You got your eye on anyone?”**

**Neville flushed slightly. “Not really. I was going to ask Hermione, you know, as friends …**

“Really just as friends.” Neville confirmed hastily.

**… but …”  
Hermione smiled apologetically. “If I didn’t have a date, I’d have said yes, Neville.”**

Alice beamed at her, and Hermione blushed slightly. “Well, I would.” She muttered.

**“Really?” Neville asked, sounding surprised.**

**“Of course.” Hermione said truthfully. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re a great guy, Nev; stop selling yourself short. What about Susan Bones?”**

Hermione’s blush deepened and she muttered something that sounded like ‘How was I supposed to know?’

**Neville looked thoughtful. “I suppose I could ask her … Might look a bit weird though …”**

“You could go as friends though, sweetheart.” Alice pointed out. “In fact, it’s probably for the best at the moment – unless you’ve got someone in mind, it means that no one gets …”

“Alice?” Lily called, interrupting her mid-flow. “This happened last Christmas for them, hun.”

**“Why’s that?” Hermione asked with a frown. “You spend a lot of time together.”**

**Ginny chuckled. “They’re cousins, Mione. At least I think they are.”**

**_Okay, so she doesn’t have a thing for him. But Harry knows Ginny better anyway._ **

“Plus, Susan had a crush on Harry back then.” Neville put in. “It would have been awkward.”

“Had?” Lily questioned.

“They talked at the Yule Ball.” Neville explained. “And she realised that she does really like him, just in a more platonic way.”

**“My mum and her dad were brother and sister.” Neville confirmed.**

“I can’t believe I didn’t ask.” Hermione whispered. “You’d never mentioned your parents before.”

“I wouldn’t have answered.” Neville admitted, before catching his mother’s eye. “I’m not ashamed.” He insisted hastily. “I just don’t like being pitied. And Gran’s always saying how I’ll never live up to you two and I just don’t want other people doing the same thing.”

Alice hugged him tightly. “Sweetheart, the best thing you can do to make us proud is to be happy and do your best. You don’t have to ‘live up to’ anything.”

**“But we could just go together like Harry and Ginny are. Means she’s not being taken advantage of, I suppose.”**

The boys nodded, as the girls rolled their eyes.

“I’m sure Susan could take care of herself.” Jen remarked.

Neville shrugged. “Probably, but we were only fourteen.”

**“Good on you, mate!” Harry called as Neville jogged away.**

**Ginny and Hermione exchanged an exasperated glance, but didn’t comment on the male mind-set.**

“Wise move.” Arabella said sagely. “They wouldn’t listen anyway.”

**Instead, Hermione prompted, “Harry, I think you had another problem, didn’t you?”**

**Harry looked confused for a second. “Oh yeah. I can’t dance.”  
Ginny rolled her eyes and got to her feet. “Come on. Get up.”**

Lily smiled at her. “Thank you.”

**“Are you going to teach me?” Harry asked, scrambling up after her.**

**“No, I’m going to make you hop on one leg and sing the national anthem.” Ginny said briskly.**

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Honestly, what else was I going to do?”

**“Give me your hand.”  
As she began to teach Harry a basic waltz, Hermione leaned back against the tree and chatted to Lily, who was reminiscing about the Christmas Ball in her seventh year.**

“Oh yeah,” Hermione turned to _Sirius_ , “why was Amos Diggory there three years after he graduated, and do I want to know why you nearly hit him?”

“His wife wanted a word with McGonagall – she was taking her mastery.” _Addie_ answered before _Sirius_ could. “And, no, you really don’t.”

“That bad, huh?” Addie asked quietly.

“Worse.” _Sirius_ said darkly.

“It wasn’t all bad.” _Addie_ disagreed lightly. “He’s a dick – we’ve known that for years. Besides, I think we both did a pretty good job of forgetting he even existed.”

 _Sirius_ allowed himself a smirk, as her ecstatic cries seemed to echo in his head, finally accessible in his memory for the first time in fourteen years. “Yes we did.”

Hermione turned back to Mandy resolutely. “I’m not going to ask. Go on.”

**After half an hour, Ginny called for a halt. “My feet are killing me.”**

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “After half an hour?”

“It wasn’t my fault.” Harry mumbled, blushing. **  
**

**“Sorry.” Harry muttered sheepishly.**

**Ginny smiled at him. “It’s not your fault; you’re actually pretty good.**

Lily smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. The only time James had willingly mentioned his mother was when he told her that she taught him to dance. It must have been such an important part of his memories of her, and she wished she could have done the same with Harry.

**I’m just not wearing the proper shoes to dance in.”**

**“What _are_ you doing?” Ron’s voice asked. He was standing on the path leading down to the lake, watching Harry and Ginny with a bewildered expression.**

“Bewildered?” Sirius repeated. “I was a bit more than bewildered.”

“You took it very well.” Jen reminded him.

“I talked to you _after_ I calmed down.” Sirius informed her. “Believe me, that was not my initial reaction.”

**“Teaching Harry to dance.” Ginny answered, spinning out to face him. “Harry has to open the Ball, remember?”**

**“Oh yeah.” Ron sank down next to Hermione, squinting up at them. “Got a date then?”  
“A friend.” Harry corrected, exchanging a smile with Ginny.**

**“Alright for some.” Ron grumbled.**

“And here we go again.” Hermione sighed.

**Ginny smiled sweetly. “Still reeling from the Fleur disaster?”**

“The what?” James asked, smirking in anticipation.

**“Fleur disaster?” Hermione repeated.**

**“He asked Fleur Delacour to the Yule Ball.” Ginny elaborated.**

James and Sirius howled with laughter, while Jen gaped at the book. “No offence to your brother,” she said, turning to Fred and Ginny, “but he didn’t honestly think she’d say yes, did he?”

“Who knows?” Fred responded, sniggering.

**Ron glared at her. “Thanks a lot.”**

“What are sisters for?” Jen asked lightly. “Other than to tell highly embarrassing stories?” She smirked at Sirius, who was still choking on laughter. “Watch it, Padfoot – I’ve got some good ones of you.”

“Yeah, but they’ve heard them all.” Sirius pointed out, still grinning broadly.

Jen turned to Remus with a bright smile. “Have I ever told you about our seventh birthday?”

Sirius’s laughter swiftly vanished and he turned to Mandy. “Read. Now.”

**Harry gaped at him. “You what?”**

**“I don’t know what came over me!” Ron groaned. “She was standing there, talking to Diggory, and I just blurted it out!”**

Jen frowned. “Veela blood.” **  
**

**“What did she say?” Hermione asked sympathetically.**

**“Nothing!” Ron cried. “She just looked at me like I’d crawled out from under a stone or something! Then I came to my senses and ran for it!”**

**“Oh, she is part-Veela.” Harry told him. “You were right; her grandmother’s one. She told Ollivander during the Weighing of the Wands – one of ‘grand-mere’s’ hairs is her wand core.”**

Hermione sighed. “Your pronunciation was terrible, Harry.”

**Hermione flinched. “Harry, remind me to teach you French – you’ll probably need it one day.”**

**“He will.” James confirmed. “One of our villas is in France.”**

Lily gaped at him. “You what?”

“We have a villa in France.” James repeated, smiling. “Did I forget to tell you that? It’s down near a little town called Sarlat.” He turned to _Sirius_. “Did I …?”

“That was where you spent your honeymoon.” _Sirius_ answered, predicting the question.

**While Hermione was sufficiently distracted by staring at James, Ginny patted Ron’s arm sympathetically. “See? She was probably turning on the charm for Cedric and you got a blast of it.**

Jen nodded in agreement.

**She’s wasting her time anyway – he’s going with Cho Chang.”**

**Harry looked up. “Is he?”**

Sirius winced. “Ouch. Sorry, mate.”

**“Yeah.” Ginny’s expression cleared and she winced slightly. “Sorry, Harry. You like her, don’t you?”  
Harry shrugged, making a non-committal noise in the back of his throat.**

“Yes.” Addie answered, as Harry went bright red.

**Ron hesitated, clearing his throat awkwardly, then cracked a smile. “Hey, you’ll never guess who Neville’s going to ask!”**

Hermione grimaced. “I’d just like to apologise for Ron in advance, Nev.”

“What did he do?” Alice asked immediately.

Neville sighed. “Just be himself, Mum. Ron can be a git sometimes. It’s fine, Mione.”

**“Susan Bones.” Ginny answered. “He just left.”  
Ron frowned. “No. Hermione.”**

**“Yeah, he said he’d thought about it.” Hermione agreed. “But I told him I already had a date and …”**

Hermione pulled a face. “That sounds like I was lying about it. I wasn’t, Neville.”

“I know, Hermione.” Neville chuckled. “We just read it, remember?” **  
**

**Ron snickered. “I don’t blame you.”**

**Hermione glared at him. “Ron …”**

**“Hey!” Ron interrupted. “Neville’s right, Hermione – you are a girl!”**

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” _Addie_ stated in disbelief. “He honestly said that?”

Hermione just sighed. “Yeah.”

**“Thanks for noticing.” Hermione said coolly.**

**“Well, then you can go with one of us!” Ron said, gesturing to himself and Harry.**

“Didn’t Harry already say he had a date?” Lily asked.

“I don’t think he really heard.” Harry told her. “I never said explicitly that I have a date.”

“And you have to be explicit with Ron sometimes.” Hermione said with a smirk. **  
**

**“Leave me out of it, mate!” Harry said hurriedly. “I’m taking your sister!”  
Momentarily distracted, Ron narrowed his eyes at them. “Oh are you?”**

Jen chuckled. “Ah, the brother thing.”

**“Harry needs someone who’s not using him and I can’t go unless a fourth year or above asks me.” Ginny said, in the same tone as Hermione.**

**“Fine.” Ron shrugged, turning back to Hermione, either misreading or ignoring the murderous look on her face.**

“Misreading it.” Harry said firmly. “Or just missing it altogether. Ron’s an idiot sometimes, but _Voldemort_ would have backed off at that look.”

“That’ll be the Black blood then.” _Addie_ said cheerfully, before rolling her eyes at _Sirius_. “Oh, you know you’ve got a terrifying death glare.”

“Then what’s yours?” _Sirius_ asked.

“Just as scary, apparently.” _Addie_ conceded. “Never worked on you though.”

“It worked sometimes.” _Sirius_ argued.

“I’m starting to realise why James hexed you.” Mandy muttered.

“Sorry, carry on.” _Addie_ said.

As Mandy found her place, _Sirius_ leaned closer to _Addie_ , whispering, “Besides, it did work on me, just never in the way you intended it.”

 _Addie_ shivered, remembering his whispered confession that, far from off-putting, he actually found that look quite attractive and how he had proceeded to demonstrate just how much. She gave him a stern look and he smiled back innocently, as though he didn’t know _exactly_ what he was doing to her.

_Yeah, right._

**“Me then. Come on, Hermione! We’re going to look really stupid if we don’t have dates!”**

Addie sucked in a breath. “Why’s he assuming that you don’t have a date yet? You just said that you did.”

Hermione snorted. “Yes, but who in their right _mind_ would ask me out?”

“Quite a lot of people.” Harry answered loyally. “Ron’s just being a prat.”

“As usual.” Ginny added. **  
**

**“We?” Hermione asked acidly. “I _have_ a date!”**

**Ron laughed, though not unkindly.  “Come on, Hermione! You and I both know you just said that to get rid of Neville!”**

“No I didn’t.” Hermione said softly, as Alice let out an angry hiss.

**“Actually, I mentioned that _before_ he even brought it up!” Hermione snapped. “And if I didn’t have a date, I would have said yes …”  
“No you wouldn’t.” Ron disagreed. “Who would?**

“I would.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “You know, as friends. Because, no offence, Nev, I just don’t feel like that.”

“Me neither.” Neville agreed, smiling at her. “So thanks.”

**So are you going with me?”**

**Hermione jumped to her feet, shaking with both anger and suppressed tears.**

Whatever silent interaction was happening between _Sirius_ and _Addie_ , it was forgotten in an instant. His gaze shot to the book, glaring at it, and she wrapped a protective arm around Hermione’s shoulders.

**“Just because it’s taken _you_ four years to realise I’m a girl, _Ronald_ , doesn’t mean it’s taken the rest of the world that long!” She turned on her heel and ran for it.**

**It wasn’t the dramatic exit she’d have preferred, but anything was better than staying and crying.**

_Addie_ nodded in agreement, pulling the girl closer. After confronting and breaking up with Amos, she had been spared from running as far and as fast as possible before he saw her cry; Sirius and James had translated her words into ‘man-speak’ by dumping him in the lake, which, in her heightened emotional state, had been enough to push her tears into hysterical laughter.

**She rounded the greenhouses and let herself collapse on the lawn, burying her face in her arms, too emotionally drained to run any further.**

**Lily crouched next to her. “Are you alright, hun?”**

“No.” Hermione answered flatly. **  
**

**“Of course.” Hermione lied, wiping her eyes. “It’s not like Ron _means_ to be like that.”**

“He doesn’t.” Ginny agreed. “But that doesn’t make it better.”

**“But that’s the way it sounded.” Lily sympathised, patting her arm pointlessly.**

**“Is everyone else going to think like that?” Hermione whispered. “How on earth could _she_ get a date?!”**

“No.” Draco answered. “Most people were thinking ‘where the hell has she been hiding?’”

Hermione blushed and hit him, but she smiled, which was what he’d been aiming for.

**She fell silent abruptly, partly due to the sobs that overtook her voice and partly due to the footsteps that approached.**

**She could only hope it wasn’t someone who would carry this image to the rest of the school or a Slytherin who might not say anything to anyone else, but would never let her live it down either.**

“Who was it?” _Addie_ asked, her arm tightening slightly.

“No one bad.” Hermione assured her with a smile.

**So it came as a relief when a gentle arm wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her into a comforting hug. She leaned into it gratefully, feeling someone else rub her arm softly.**

**The tears dried after a few minutes and Hermione pulled away, accepting the tissue that was handed to her.**

**“Do you want me to get Harry?” Neville asked …**

Alice beamed, kissing his forehead. “I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”

**… in concern, his hand resting on her arm.**

**“I don’t need anyone else to see this.” Hermione whispered, drying her eyes. “I’m being silly, that’s all.”**

“You’re not being silly.” _Addie_ said in a low voice. “If it upset you, it’s not silly.”

**“If you’re sure …” Susan said uncertainly …**

Alice’s smile widened. It was the first time her niece had been mentioned directly, aside from at the sorting.

**… from her other side, her arm still around her shoulders.**

**“I am.” Hermione smiled weakly. “Silly.”**

**“What happened?” Neville prompted.**

**“Nothing.” Hermione sighed. “It’s nothing. Just Ron being … Ron. That’s all.”**

Mandy sighed. “And that’s the end of the chapter.”

Lily let out a shaky breath. “I know we just had lunch, but can we take a break? My heart hasn’t quite recovered from the first task.”

Everyone agreed, and _Addie_ made sure Hermione was alright, before releasing her and catching _Sirius_ ’s eye, nodding to the other room.

He closed the door behind them and set up a Silencing Charm. “Problem?”

“You need to stop, Sirius.” _Addie_ told him sternly.

 _Sirius_ smiled innocently. “Stop what?”

“You know full well ‘what’.” _Addie_ said, rolling her eyes. “Honestly, Padfoot, you’re hardly being subtle – it’s only a matter of time before Harry or Hermione catches on – if she hasn’t already – it’s not fair, Sirius.”

“Alright … alright.” _Sirius_ pulled her closer as she paused to catch her breath. “I’ll stop.”

“Thank you.” Seeing his almost-hurt expression, _Addie_ smiled coyly. “Besides, if you don’t stop, I can’t guarantee I won’t jump you.”

“Now that _wouldn’t_ be fair.” _Sirius_ smirked. “Although I wouldn’t complain.”

“I bet you wouldn’t.” _Addie_ tilted her head back to look up at him, accepting his kiss as she did so. When they broke apart, she buried her face in his chest, sighing softly, unwilling to release him just yet.

She wasn’t stupid – she knew that they were at least halfway through the story. And at the end … when they had caught up … it seemed too much to hope for that the future would be revealed, even if they wouldn’t remember it afterwards.

If it wasn’t, they would be forced to say goodbye once the last page had been read.

She could see the worry in Lily’s eyes, the panic about what might have happened to Harry, the need to read as quickly as possible, to get the hard part over and done with.

But _Addie_ wanted to drag it out for as long as possible.

Part of her – the optimistic part – wanted to believe that she wouldn’t have been included if she didn’t play some part in Harry’s future, that she would escape in the next few years and everything would be fine.

But another part, the part that was getting louder by the hour, whispered that maybe she would never escape, that she would die out there – or (and this made her heart clench even more painfully) that maybe she _did_ escape, but not before _Sirius_ had been killed in this new war.

Maybe they were here so they had another chance to say goodbye.

And if that was why they were here, all she wanted was one more night with him.

Was that so terrible?


	21. Chapter Nineteen - The Yule Ball

It took at least twenty minutes for Lily to calm down, but as they began to gather again, Hermione realised that they were still two readers short.

Excusing herself, she jogged over to the closed door and knocked, hoping whatever Silencing Charm they had used was one-way. “Sirius? Addie?”

She felt, rather than heard, the Silencing Charm disappear, followed by Sirius’s voice. “Come in.”

Hermione pushed the door open, smiling at the sight that greeted her. _Addie_ ’s head was resting on his shoulder, her eyes closed, while _Sirius_ stroked her hair softly.

“We’re about to start the next chapter.” She said quietly. “She asleep?”

“Think so.” _Sirius_ answered, looking worried. “I don’t know why she’s so tired.”

“It’s emotionally draining.” Hermione supplied. “Especially for her. And for you, I should think. She doesn’t know if she’s going to see you again after we get out of here.”

 _Sirius_ looked down at her. “I hadn’t even thought of that. Trying not to, I guess.”

Hermione smiled weakly. “Are you going to wake her, or shall I?”

“I’ve got it.” _Sirius_ assured her. “Give us a minute.”

Hermione nodded, and left the room, closing the door behind her.

“Ads,” _Sirius_ whispered, squeezing her shoulder. “Time to wake up, sweetheart.”

 _Addie_ shifted and blinked sleepily, lifting her head. “Hmm?”

 _Sirius_ smirked at her. “You fell asleep.”

“Sorry.” _Addie_ muttered, running a hand through her hair. “Have they started again?”

“Not yet.” _Sirius_ said. “They’re just about to.”

The others were ready and waiting when the two rejoined them, settling on the long sofa next to Harry and Hermione.

Remus reached for the book and turned to the next chapter.

**Chapter Nineteen**

**The Yule Ball**

The boys groaned, but the girls perked up. “This should be interesting.” Lily commented. “I’ve never seen a Ball at Hogwarts.”

“Neither have we.” Jen reminded her.

“Yeah, but you’ve seen the Ministry Balls.” Lily sighed.

“For our sakes, I hope it’s nothing like that.” Addie remarked, wrinkling her nose. “Those things are so _boring_.”

“The one in seventh was nothing like those.” _Sirius_ assured her.

“On saying that,” _Addie_ smirked, “the company was infinitely better.”

“True.” _Sirius_ conceded.

**“Hermione, you look stunning.” Lavender sighed.**

As Hermione blushed, Lily smiled. “I’m going to like this chapter. I don’t suppose you have a photograph, do you?”

“No, but I bet we can get one.” Harry grinned, looking towards the ceiling.

Sure enough, with a flash of light, two photographs appeared on the table and he picked them up. “I don’t remember anyone taking that.”

Hermione looked over his shoulder, seeing the two of them dancing in the Great Hall, completely lost in each other. “Neither do I.” She whispered.

“Let’s see?” Fred popped up behind them and grinned. “Yeah, I took that one. You two were just too _cute_.” He squealed the last word and promptly ducked when they both reached up to smack him.

“Harry?” Lily prompted.

Harry handed her the picture, and she broke into a smile.

“You know,” Jen said thoughtfully, looking over her shoulder, “I know you two are just friends, but you make a good-looking couple.”

Hermione’s blush deepened and she picked up the other picture to change the subject. “This isn’t us.”

 _Addie_ took the picture and chuckled. “No, that’s us.”

“What?” Addie asked in shock, holding her hand out.

 _Addie_ relinquished the photo willingly, watching both pictures circulate the room, leaning back into _Sirius_ ’s arms. “You alright?” She murmured.

 _Sirius_ shook his head slowly. “Yeah … Yeah, I’m fine. Just … every time I think I’m past Azkaban, it comes back.”

 _Addie_ raised an eyebrow, silently asking what the connection was.

 _Sirius_ nodded to the photo. “I’d forgotten how beautiful you looked that night.”

 _Addie_ rested her head on his shoulder, and took the photograph that Neville passed her. “I’m going to have to agree with Lavender’s assessment, Hermione.”

Hermione turned even redder, as Remus continued.

**Hermione twirled around in front of the mirror, self-consciously. “You think so?”**

**Her mother had bought her some dress robes on a whim at the beginning of the summer, when they had stopped at Diagon Alley on the way back from King’s Cross, but only after they had passed her father’s inspection.**

Jen grimaced.

**Thankfully, Lily had taught Hermione a dress-alteration spell …**

“You’re welcome.” Lily smiled.

**… and she had managed to transfigure the chocolate-brown robes with long sleeves …**

The girls made various sounds of disgust.

“Very welcome.” Lily corrected, pulling a face. “You poor, poor thing.”

**… (“They match your eyes,” her mother had said.**

“I got the feeling she was trying to find a silver lining.” Hermione sighed.

**“Not even my sister would wear that colour.” Lily had informed her) into sleeveless periwinkle blue robes with a scalloped neckline.**

“Much better.” Mandy approved, looking again at the photograph.

**Parvati, upon seeing her robes, had insisted on doing her hair – which involved a good deal of Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion …**

“I thought that might be it.” Arabella remarked. “I remember Annie saying that you couldn’t do a thing with her mother’s hair.”

**… and Lavender her make-up, and both were now watching Hermione tearfully, looking rather like proud parents at their daughter’s graduation.**

Harry chuckled. “I thought I was imagining it.”

**Hermione smiled at the thought, and found that she didn’t disagree with Lavender’s assessment. She had never considered herself attractive …**

Harry rolled his eyes. “One day …” He sighed. “You’ll get it.”

**… although maybe that was because her two best friends were male and she had always been ‘one of the lads’.**

**Until Harry had sort-of asked her to the Ball, she wasn’t even sure he knew she was a girl.**

“Hermione!” Harry protested. “Of course I know you’re a girl!”

“Yeah!” Fred agreed. “It’s not difficult, Mya – you’ve got …”

Two pillows hit him at the same time, knocking him off his chair as Ginny smacked him over the head for good measure.

“A pretty face!” Fred shouted, ducking another cushion. “You’ve got a pretty face. It’s not a boy’s face.”

**But tonight, she barely recognised herself.**

**“Your date’s going to pass out.” Parvati said with a smile.**

**“I hope not.” Hermione remarked dryly, grabbing her cloak. _Not least because he’s not technically a date,_ she added silently …**

“Didn’t you tell people that?” Lily asked curiously.

Hermione shrugged. “Didn’t see the point. They wouldn’t believe me and, in situations like that, denial is as good as admittance, so I just let them think what they wanted.”

**… as the other two giggled. “Have a good time, ladies. I’ll see you there.” She slipped the cloak around her and fastened it, before lifting her hood.**

“Didn’t want to get stopped every five metres with questions.” Hermione said with a smile. “Everyone was very interested to know who I was going with for some reason.”

**The castle was abuzz with excitement and Hermione slipped through the crowd in the Entrance Hall and out into the dark grounds, skirting around the rose garden that had sprung up overnight at the beginning of the Christmas holidays, fairy lights twinkling amidst the bushes that lined the twisting pathways.**

“That’s new.” Lily commented.

“They’re showing off.” Sirius smirked.

**The Durmstrang ship loomed out of the darkness …**

The boys began making creepy noises.

**… making her shiver slightly at the sight; it was one of the creepier sights she’d seen, and that included Ron’s table manners.**

Harry shuddered. “Let’s not be hasty, Hermione.”

**As she reached it, the gang-plank fell with a heavy thud and students began to disembark, many of them paired off.**

**“Ah, Viktor!” Karkaroff boomed, his voice echoing through the night. “This must be your date for the evening.”**

Everyone tensed without realising it.

**Nervously, knowing full well how Karkaroff felt about people like her and, more importantly, what he’d once _done_ to people like her …**

Sirius growled. “If he even _thinks_ about laying a hand on you …”

Addie took his hand, causing him to calm immediately. “I think Harry would be a bit more on edge if he’d done anything.”

**… Hermione removed her hood, letting the light from the ship illuminate her face. She couldn’t help wondering whether the sharp intakes of breath were down to most of the students knowing, by now, that she was Muggle-born, or something else.**

“Probably a bit of both.” Draco commented. “You did look lovely that evening.”

Hermione smiled. “Thank you.”

**Viktor approached her with a smile, bending to kiss her hand before turning to his headmaster. “This is Hermione Granger, Professor.”**

**“Charmed, my dear.” Karkaroff said, following his student’s example. “I don’t think I recognise the name Granger.”**

Jen sniffed angrily. “Why does that matter?”

Remus squeezed her hand softly.

**“You wouldn’t, sir.” Hermione responded politely. “I’m Muggle-born.”**

**For a second, Karkaroff’s smile faltered, but it was hastily restored …**

“Of course.” Sirius sneered. “Wouldn’t want to look bad in front of his favourite student, would he?”

**… and he turned back to the students, organising them into a line.**

**Hermione slipped her cloak off, shivering slightly in the cold air, and folded it up, storing in her bag, which she had managed to charm to hold more than usual.**

“Impressive.” Lily commented. “That’s a sixth year charm.”

“It didn’t work as well as I wanted it to.” Hermione sighed. “It had worn off by the next morning.”

Fred rolled his eyes. “Again, Mya, it’s a _sixth year_ charm.”

**“You look beautiful.” Viktor told her in a quiet voice.**

**Hermione glanced up, surprise evident on her face. “Oh … thank you.”**

**Viktor offered her his arm …**

“At least he’s polite.” Addie remarked.

**… and they led the way back up to Hogwarts, through the fairy-lit rose garden, and into the Entrance Hall.**

**No sooner had they arrived in the warmth than they heard Professor McGonagall’s voice, amplified over the crowd. “Champions over here, please!”**

“Good.” Jen muttered. “Get away from Karkaroff as soon as possible.”

**She and Viktor split from the Durmstrang students and made their way to stand just to the side of the doors into the Great Hall – they were to wait there while everyone else took their seats and then enter in procession.**

**Cedric looked startled when he recognised her, but greeted her with a smile, which was than could be said for Cho, who was wearing traditional Chinese robes, and was gaping at Hermione in unflattering disbelief.**

Lily frowned. “Charming.”

Harry frowned as well, but for a different reason. “Was she? I didn’t notice that.”

Hermione rolled her eyes fondly. “That’s because, Harry, with the exception of me and Ginny, you’re about as good at reading girls as Ron is at using tact.”

“That, and your eyes tend to fall out of your head when she’s around.” Ginny added with a smirk, causing him to blush.

**Fleur, who – upon conversation in the library – Hermione had learned to be both an intelligent and a compassionate young woman …**

“Ron was a prat a few more times before this.” Hermione explained, seeing the questioning looks. “Fleur came across me crying in the library and sat with me until I calmed down, talking about how idiotic boys could be sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?” Mandy asked sweetly.

**… greeted her more freely, seizing her shoulders and kissing her on each cheek in a customary French greeting. “ _Hermione, tu es magnifique!_ ”**

“Hermione, you look wonderful.” Hermione put in. “Or rather, ‘Hermione, you are magnificent’, but it doesn’t translate directly and still make sense.”

**“ _Venant de toi c’est un compliment._ ” ** **Hermione responded easily …**

“Coming from you, that’s a compliment.” Jen translated before Hermione could. “My French is slowly coming back to me.”

**… blushing slightly – thanks to her empathy, she knew Fleur to be completely sincere, which was incredibly flattering, given that the Beauxbatons champion looked even more stunning than usual.**

**She wearing silver-grey dress-robes and standing with Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, who kept staring at her as though he couldn’t believe his luck.**

James sniggered. “Wasn’t he the one you mentioned during the Quidditch game?”

Fred nodded with a grin. “That’s the one.”

**As much as Hermione liked Fleur, she had a feeling that her Veela heritage had more than a little to do with this – everyone in Hogwarts knew were Davies’ admirations lay normally, and they weren’t with the fairer sex.**

“I don’t think Fleur knew that.” Hermione remarked. “I probably should have warned her.”

“What I find strange,” Lily commented, “is how the magical world can be so archaic in some aspects and so revolutionary in others.”

“What do you mean?” Addie asked.

“Well, take the whole ‘betrothal, bride price’ thing,” Lily said, “selling your daughters and so on. The Muggle world – at least in Britain – outlawed that years ago. And yet until recently homosexuality was considered illegal in some places, and it’s still heavily frowned upon, but in the magical world, it’s just accepted.”

Addie looked confused. “How can you make it illegal to fall in love?”

Lily shrugged. “I don’t know, but they managed it.”

“It’s not always accepted.” _Sirius_ told her quietly. “In old pureblood families, it depends whether there’s another son to carry on the family name.”

Hermione smiled sweetly. “How did you know that?”

 _Sirius_ glared at her. “Don’t even think about it.”

“They’ll find out anyway.” Hermione sang. “If I know me, it’s in this book.”

 _Addie_ looked between them, a bemused look on her face. “What _are_ you talking about?”

 _Sirius_ sighed. “It involved Rita Skeeter and Hestia Jones – can we move on?”

 _Addie_ smirked. “Alright. I’ll get it out of you later.”

**“Close your mouth, Harry.” Ginny said quietly, drawing Hermione’s attention to them.**

**She and Harry looked very festive – he was wearing bottle-green robes that – as Molly had quite rightly guessed – offset his eyes beautifully, and she was wearing a shade of red that, somehow, didn’t clash with her hair.**

“How did you manage that?” Lily asked. “I can _never_ wear red.”

“Oh, there’s this new place in Hogsmeade …” Ginny began.

“Girls!” James interrupted. “Could you talk fashion over dinner? We’ll be here all day otherwise.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell you later.”

**Harry was practically gaping at her.**

“I had to close his mouth for him.” Ginny said cheerfully.

**“Hermione … you look … stunning.” As she blushed, he turned to Viktor with a stern expression. “Don’t hurt her.”  
“Do not vorry.” Viktor assured him. “I value my life.”**

**Before any more could be said, the doors to the Great Hall opened and the other students filed past them, most Hogwarts students doing double-takes when they saw Hermione.**

**She wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or insulted, especially when Ron walked right past them without even glancing at her.**

**On the other hand, not even the Slytherins seemed to be able to find an insult for her as they passed.**

“Good thing too.” Draco commented. “It meant I didn’t have to come up with something.”

**Once everyone inside was seated, McGonagall directed the champions and their dates into pairs and instructed them to follow her.**

**They entered the Great Hall to loud applause and Hermione couldn’t help smiling. She knew that the attention would annoy her tomorrow, but for the moment, it was quite satisfying watching people eat their words.**

“It can be.” _Addie_ agreed with a smile. She had been completely over Amos by the time the Christmas Ball came around, and she wished he had never appeared at that evening, but it felt so good to see the still-present jealousy (the hypocrite) in his eyes when she walked in, wrapped in Sirius’s very possessive arms.

**Self-conscious she may still be, but even if she doubted Viktor and Fleur, Harry would never lie to her, and his reaction was enough to make her feel a hundred times better.**

The two Lions exchanged a smile.

**The Great Hall was always stunning at Christmas, but like with the food and the grounds, Hogwarts had outdone herself and it took her breath away.**

**The house tables had been replaced with circular ones, leaving a large dance floor in the middle of the room. In one corner of the room, a small stage had been set up for the band – the Weird Sisters …**

“The who?” Both Addies asked in unison.

 _Sirius_ frowned. “Don’t know. Can’t help you there.”

“They’re a wizard rock band that started in 1989.” Ginny told them. “They’re really good. Right, Hermione?”

Hermione shrugged. “I guess. If you like that sort of music.”

“It’s that or Celestina Warbeck.” Fred said dryly.

Hermione sighed. “I think I’ll stick with Muggle music. Give me the Beatles any day.”

**… Hermione seemed to remember someone saying. The walls were covered in silver frost and hundreds of garlands of holly and mistletoe were strewn from the starry ceiling, which had somehow been enchanted to snow softly, although the flakes never actually reached them and the floor was perfectly dry.**

Lily sighed. “That sounds gorgeous.”

“Sounds like seventh year.” _Addie_ murmured. “Minus the floating mistletoe.”

“Probably because there were fourth years present.” _Sirius_ commented. “That stuff was persistent.”

 _Addie_ rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up. I don’t remember you complaining.”

**Four of the judges – Bagman resplendent in bright robes that rivalled Dumbledore’s – were already seated at the large rounded head table, but Barty Crouch was conspicuous in his absence …**

David frowned. “Why wasn’t he there?”

“Ill.” Harry answered. “Percy said he hadn’t been at work much lately.”

“From the way Barty talks about his dad, I’d have thought nothing short of death would stop him going to work.” Alice remarked.

Neville’s face darkened again at the mention of Crouch Jr.  Hermione noticed and nudged him. “They’re going to catch on.” She murmured. “Stop it.”

Only Remus noticed this exchange, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

**… and his seat was occupied by Percy Weasley.**

“Okay, that’s odd.” Regulus announced. “Crouch is ill, and he sends a junior as his replacement? Was there no one else in the department?”

“Percy had been promoted to his ‘personal assistant’.” Harry explained. “The way he was harping on, you’d have though Crouch named him Supreme Ruler of the Universe.”

“I want to know why you didn’t ask him whether Crouch had stopped calling him ‘Weatherby’ yet.” Ginny said, almost whining. “ _I_ couldn’t, because Mum would have found out. Why didn’t you?”

“Didn’t want to cause a scene, Sis.” Harry sighed. “One of the hardest thing I’ve ever done though.”

**As the champions reached the table, Percy pulled out the seat beside him and looked pointedly at Harry, who pulled out the next chair for Ginny …**

Lily beamed at him. “Good boy, Harry. Most teenage boys wouldn’t think of that.”

**… (once she had cleared her throat significantly) …**

James smirked. “You were saying?”

“Never mind.” Lily said.

**… before sitting himself.**

**During dinner, Viktor told her about Durmstrang – under the watchful eye of his headmaster – and what it was like, playing professional Quidditch.**

**“It is very … how vould you say …” Viktor seemed to be searching for the right English word “… annoying to be recognised only for your flying skills and nothing else.”**

“What’s wrong with that?” James asked blankly.

“Oh, nothing,” Hermione said, rolling her eyes. “After all, you fly – it’s not like you have a brain, or pull pranks, or are good at Transfiguration.”

James grimaced. “Alright, I see your point.”

**“It must be.” Hermione sympathised. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Ron, sitting with Neville and Susan, Seamus and Lavender, and Dean and Parvati. Parvati had, at Hermione’s request, talked her sister, Padma, into accompanying Ron …**

“I knew Ron couldn’t get a girl like that on his own.” Fred muttered.

**… but he seemed to be ignoring her, in favour of glaring at Hermione.**

“Charming.” Mandy remarked tartly.

**Viktor followed her line of sight. “He is not your boyfriend, is he?”**

**“No.” Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ron, dimly wondering why everyone seemed to think they were together.**

Fred and Ginny exchanged a smirk. Most people liked to act as though they thought Ron and Hermione might hook up in the hopes that it would spur Harry into making a move – the betting pool was getting bigger by the month.

**First Harry, now Viktor – even Parvati had mentioned it when Hermione had asked her to talk to her sister.**

**Well, his behaviour at the moment could certainly pass for jealousy, if it weren’t for the fact that Hermione couldn’t detect any in the air – although trying to isolate one emotion from one person was almost impossible in this crowd.**

“There wasn’t any.” Hermione confirmed. “I checked later.”

**Catching Ron’s eye, she nodded pointedly towards the girl sitting next to him, and he – reluctantly, it seemed – turned to talk to her.**

**“We’ve been best friends since first year.” She continued, turning back to Viktor. “But he seems to have hit the emotional level of a teaspoon and just stayed there.”**

Lily chuckled. “Don’t worry, Hermione – that’s what James and Sirius did for a good two years.”

“Unfortunately, their heads inflated at the same time.” Addie added, grimacing.

**Viktor laughed. “Unfortunately, Hermione, many boys do at that age.”  
Once everyone had eaten, Dumbledore asked everyone to stand and, with a wave of his wand, the tables moved back against the wall, making the dance space even bigger.**

_Sirius_ nodded. “That’s what happened in seventh year.”

**The Weird Sisters trooped onstage to wild applause and Hermione resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose – they were all extremely hairy.**

“Lovely.” Lily remarked.

“It’s not as bad as you’d think.” Hermione admitted. “All eight are male, despite the name.”

“Well, that makes it slightly better.” Lily conceded.

“I like them.” Harry commented.

“Thank you.” Ginny said primly. “At least _someone_ has some taste.”

Hermione sighed. “Ginny, most of the time, they’re a lot of bad noise.”

“Tonks likes them.” Ginny pointed out.

 _Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “Dora also spends most of her time with pink hair, Ginny – it doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“I did say most of the time.” Hermione reminded Ginny. “I quite liked Magic Works.”

“ _So believe that magic works, don’t be afraid of being hurt,_ ” Ginny hummed with a smile.

“ _Don’t let this magic die, the answer’s there, oh just look in her eyes,_ ” Hermione finished.

“That one’s my favourite.” Ginny agreed.

Remus cleared his throat, ending the discussion, and started reading again.

**At the judges’ cue, the champions and their dates stood and made their way on to the dance floor as a slow, mournful waltz began playing.**

**As Viktor spun her round, Hermione noticed that Ginny’s lessons had paid off and that Harry was managing … not amazingly, but then he was only fourteen and had the eyes of the room on him, so given the circumstances, Hermione felt, he was doing quite well.**

“Thanks.” Harry muttered, turning red.

**Better than Roger Davies, at least, who was still staring at Fleur (as he had been throughout dinner, to the extent that he kept missing his mouth), and needed to be physically steered around the dance floor.**

Jen rolled her eyes. “If she’s only a quarter-Veela, her allure would have to be strong enough to take out half the men in the room to elicit that reaction.”

“No, he’s just very susceptible.” Fred sniggered.

**Soon other dancers took to the floor as well; she could see Susan wincing frequently as Neville stood on her feet …**

Neville blushed. “Why couldn’t this be from Harry’s point of view?”

“It’d still be in there, Nev.” Harry grinned. “I saw it too.”

Neville grumbled something about observant friends and Alice patted his arm with a smile. “If it makes you feel better, dear, Frank stands on my feet at least twice a week, and that’s when we’re _not_ dancing.”

**… Dumbledore waltzing with Madam Maxime (his hat barely reaching her chin), and Professors Moody and Sinistra engaged in an awkward two-step.**

Jen grimaced. “How’d you dance a two-step with a wooden leg?”

“With difficulty.” Harry smirked.

**After several dances, Viktor offered to go and get them something to drink. Hermione agreed, and headed over to where Ron, Ginny and Harry were chatting.**

**Or rather, as it seemed, where Ginny and Harry were chatting, and Ron was ignoring them.**

Lily rolled her eyes.

**“Hey,” Hermione greeted, a little breathlessly. “Where’s Padma?”  
Ron shrugged.**

**“She went off with some boy from Beauxbatons.” Ginny answered for him. “Ron wasn’t being a very good date.”**

“It took her a long time to forgive me for that.” Hermione muttered.

**Hermione couldn’t be bothered to berate him. “It’s hot, isn’t it?” She commented, fanning her face with her hand. It may have been snowing outside, but the crowded hall was warmer than usual. “Viktor’s just gone to get us some drinks.”  
“Hasn’t he asked you to call him Vicky yet?” Ron asked waspishly.**

“What is his problem?!” Arabella demanded.

Ginny sighed. “As his sister, I should probably defend him, but I don’t have the energy.”

**Hermione frowned at him. “What’s the matter with you?”**

**“If you can’t tell, then I’m not going to tell you.” Ron snapped.**

“Oh, really mature.” Mandy muttered, rolling her eyes.

**Hermione rolled her eyes, lowering her voice. “I can’t tell what you’re feeling over this many people, Ron, so just what are you …?”  
“He’s from Durmstrang!” Ron snarled. “He’s competing against Harry! You’re fraternizing with the enemy!”**

Lily snorted. “Really? He didn’t think that maybe since Harry didn’t care, he shouldn’t either?”

“Forget that.” James scowled. “He’s actually got the nerve to question _Hermione’s_ loyalty?”

**“Ron, that’s enough!” Harry cut him off sharply. “I know where your train of thought is going and I strongly suggest you don’t pull in at this station. I’ve got no problem that Hermione’s here with him, and I’m the one competing against him. So just drop it.**

Lily gave Harry an approving smile.

**Besides, isn’t there something else you’d like to comment on?”  
“Like what?” Ron asked, looking lost.**

**Harry sighed. “I’ll do it then.” He turned to Hermione. “You really do look amazing tonight.”**

Hermione and Harry both blushed as the girls cooed.

**Hermione flushed. “Thank you.”  
At that moment, Viktor appeared next to her and handed her a bottle of butterbeer. Before Ron could make any comment, Ginny leapt to her feet and seized his hand. “Come on, big brother! You’re going to dance at least once tonight.”**

“Smart move.” Jen approved.

“Thanks for that.” Hermione added to Ginny, who shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it.” **  
**

**“Why would I want to dance with you?” Ron muttered as Ginny dragged him away.**

**Her retort was lost as they vanished into the crowd, and Harry grinned. “Thank Merlin for that. Ginevra Weasley saves the day.”**

Ginny smacked Harry on the arm multiple times. “Don’t … call … me … that!”

“Ow!” Harry moved out of reach. “Alright, I’m sorry! It won’t happen again!”

**“Don’t let her catch you calling her that.” Hermione warned, as Susan dropped into Ginny’s empty seat. “How are your feet, Susan?”**

**“Killing me.” Susan said with a wide smile.**

Neville winced, and Harry clapped him on the back. “Doesn’t sound like she cares, mate.”

“Of course she doesn’t.” Alice agreed. “I’m glad you two are close.”

**“Sorry about that.” Hermione grinned. “Didn’t think to teach Neville how to dance. Oh, Viktor, Susan. Susan, Viktor.”**

**“Pleased to meet you.” Blushing, Susan turned to Harry. “Neville’s just popped to the toilet. Care to dance, since we both seem to be dateless?”**

“Was she over her crush by then or just very forward?” Sirius asked with a grin.

“It was her attempt at getting over it.” Neville explained. “She knew nothing would come of it.”

“Why not?” Harry asked with a frown. “I mean, I’ve never really … I don’t … But how would she …?”

Neville chuckled. “If you don’t know, Harry, I’m not going to tell you.”

While Harry puzzled over the cryptic statement, Lily couldn’t help noticing the way Neville’s eyes had darted towards Hermione, and she smiled to herself.

**“Why not?” Harry asked lightly, draining his butterbeer. Giving Hermione a smile, he took Susan’s hand and led her out on to the dance floor.**

“What did you talk about?” Lily asked curiously.

“A friendly debate about whether Puddlemere United or Holyhead Harpies were the better team.” Harry answered.

**As if his departure had opened a door, which it may well have done, Draco Malfoy suddenly appeared, shaking Viktor’s hand and just generally sucking up.**

Sirius rolled his eyes. “You’re not doing yourself any favours.”

Draco smirked. “Amazingly, I wasn’t there to talk to Krum. I needed to talk to Hermione and Krum gave me a convenient cover story

**Hermione paid no attention to the conversation, watching Ginny attempt to reason with Ron, before giving up and forcefully leading him out of the hall, presumably to yell at him in private.**

Ginny nodded. “I did. Didn’t work.”

**“I was wondering if I could borrow your date for a dance.”**

Jen laughed. “Impressive. Using Slytherin cunning to cover up Gryffindor bravery.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Draco muttered with a smile. **  
**

**Hermione choked on her butterbeer, brought back to the two boys beside her with a sharp jolt of reality.**

**There was no _way_ Malfoy had just said that.**

“Yes, there was.” Harry grinned. “I thought I was seeing things. Susan had to repeat herself three times.”

**But Viktor was shrugging. “I haff no problem vith it. Hermione?”  
Faintly, Hermione agreed, taking Draco’s offered hand and allowing him to lead her out into the crowd of people.**

**“You’re wondering why I’m doing this.” He commented, as his hand rested on her waist.**

“No, of course not!” Hermione rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you hadn’t spent three years treating me like shit.”

Draco winced. “Sorry …”

Hermione waved him off. “Forget about it.”

**“Wondering doesn’t begin to cover it.” Hermione responded carefully. “Won’t Pansy and the others be a little suspicious?” She caught sight of Harry’s face over his head and gave him a reassuring smile.**

**At least Ron wasn’t in the hall for _this_.**

Ginny shuddered. “We’d never have escaped alive.”

**“As far as they’re aware, I’m doing this to impress Krum.” Draco told her. “He’s made it abundantly clear he’s got no problem with you being Muggle-born, if it appears I do …”**

“Which implies you _don’t_.” Harry concluded.

Draco sighed. “Have I said anything derogatory to Hermione or your mother while I’ve been here?”

“No.” Harry conceded. “But you’re also in a room full of people who’d kill you if you did.”

Draco pulled a face. “Alright, fair point. I don’t care. I realised pretty quickly that my father’s views were twisted at best.”

**He stopped suddenly, as though he’d divulged too much. “I’ve been getting odd notes.”**

“The one on the train wasn’t the only one?” Regulus guessed. “How many?”

Draco thought for a second. “About twenty altogether.”

“Twenty-four.” Hermione corrected.

**Hermione smiled slightly. “Have you really?”**

**“None of them sent by owl,” Draco continued, “all of which seem to end up on my person shortly after you’ve been around.”**

**Hermione didn’t say anything. He knew it was her – it had only been a matter of time, after all.**

“It took me a while.” Draco admitted. “I had to work out where I’d been and who’d been there and cross-reference everyone. You were the only person who was there each time.”

**“How did you know?” Draco asked in a low voice. “I’ve never told anyone. Ever. And don’t say they’re not from you, because we both know they are.”**

**“I have my ways.” Hermione answered slowly. “You, of all people, should know how prudent it is to keep your cards close to your chest.”**

“Slytherin.” Regulus murmured.

**“What exactly do you know?” Draco asked, as though dreading the answer.**

**Hermione hesitated. It would be easy – too easy – to just look into his head and find the answer …**

Draco stiffened and opened his mouth, but she held up a hand and gestured for Remus to continue.

**… but she would never do it.**

Hermione smiled at him.

**She remembered what Lily had said about natural Legilimency being a gift given only to those who wouldn’t abuse it, and guessed that was what she meant.**

Addie nodded. “That’s exactly what it means. If you’d been the sort of person to just look into his head like that, you wouldn’t be able to.”

**“I know you dislike your father.” She said softly, just loud enough for him to hear over the music. “I know that you were trying to warn me in the woods at the World Cup, not threaten me. I know that for the last term, at least, you’ve just been going through the motions when you insult us; there’s no real heat behind it. I know you don’t care about blood as much as you pretend to, because you only ever call me a Mudblood when you feel like you have to – and don’t think I can’t see the look in your eyes when you do – and you’ve said nothing about me undermining your father in the Top Box.”**

“You’re good.” Draco said, shaking his head.

**“How do I know I can trust you?” Draco pressed, looking paler than usual.**

**“You don’t.” Hermione answered simply, not missing a step as he spun her. “Look, I can’t get into it here. One day, I’ll tell you the full story.**

“I wouldn’t have believed it.” Draco said. “Hell, I’m still not sure I believe it.

Hermione chuckled. “I’ve lived through it, and I’m still in shock about some of it.”

**But you have my word that this will not spread further than this. Harry and Ron know my suspicions, but that’s all. The question is, how can I help?”  
Draco sighed, the first sign of outward emotion she’d seen. “I don’t think you can. At the moment, I just need to finish school and get away from him.”**

Narcissa put a hand on her son’s arm and he rested his head on her shoulder.

**“Okay.” Hermione wasn’t convinced, but she let it go anyway. “If there’s anything I can do, just owl me.”**

**“Why do you care?” Draco asked.**

**“Gryffindor.” Hermione responded as the song came to an end. “Why does it matter?”  
Draco smirked at her. “Slytherin.”**

David smiled. “I had a conversation like that with Emily once, not long after we first met.”

“Well, I just met a new friend that day.” Draco said hastily. “A potential sister at most.”

David chuckled. “I wasn’t suggesting anything different. I was just observing that interactions between Gryffindors and Slytherins are always very similar.” **  
**

**As Viktor joined them, Draco released her, squeezing her hand almost imperceptibly as he nodded to Viktor and left them.**

**“I take, by the expression on your fact, that vas not a common occurrence.” Viktor commented lightly, spinning her into another waltz.**

“There’s an understatement.” Fred muttered.

**“Quite the opposite actually.” Hermione agreed.**

**The song passed quietly. Hermione was considering the implications of what had just happened.**

**She hadn’t expected Draco to accept her knowledge so readily and could only assume it was due to desperation.**

“It was.” Draco confirmed quietly.

**Her thoughts spun and twirled through her mind, like the dancers surrounding them, and Viktor was courteous enough to let her follow them to try to unpick what they were telling her.**

“What were they telling you?” Mandy asked curiously.

“I never really got to the bottom of them.” Hermione admitted. “I got distracted.”

**In fact, Hermione was so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the song end, nor Harry’s approach, until he tapped her on the shoulder.**

**“Mind if I cut in?”**

“And this must be where the photo came into it.” Lily smiled.

**Viktor glanced down at Hermione, and she nodded with a smile. “Of course not.”  
“Oh, and this is Ginny.” Harry added, wincing when his date elbowed him in the ribs.**

“Sorry.” Ginny said, looking thoroughly unrepentant.

**“Ginny Weasley. Gin, this is Viktor Krum.”**

**Viktor kissed her hand, as he had Hermione’s earlier that evening. “May I have this dance?”**

**Ginny smiled, managing to keep a star-struck expression from crossing her face. “Of course.”**

**Harry held out his hand to Hermione, who took it as another song struck up, one she vaguely recognised this time, although she couldn’t put a title or an artist to it.**

“I didn’t recognise it at all.” Ginny frowned.

“Muggle song.” Hermione and Harry said together.

**She placed her other hand on his shoulder, as his settled on her waist.**

**“Isn’t this a Muggle song?” Hermione asked, vaguely recognising it from the summer.**

**Harry listened for a few seconds. “Yeah, I think so. What did …?”**

**“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” Hermione said, anticipating the question.**

“I still didn’t get the whole story.” Harry commented, without any real irritation.

**“I’m not getting into it here.”**

**Harry nodded, and his hand moved to the small of her back, steering her around another couple.**

**Dancing with Harry was different to dancing with Draco.**

“Oh Merlin …” Hermione groaned, grabbing a cushion and burying her face in it. “Can I hide for this part?”

Fred smirked. “No, Hermione, we all need to sit through it; you can sit through it.”

**Maybe it was because they weren’t talking, so she could focus on other things, like the warmth spreading emanating through her from the place where his hand rested.**

Hermione squeaked, fought off Fred’s hand, and dashed for the other room.

Lily put a hand on Harry’s to keep him from following. “Let her, dear. I dare say this is quite embarrassing for her. We can keep going.”

**But then, she and Viktor hadn’t talked the whole time, and it was different to that as well, although she couldn’t understand why.**

Ginny chuckled. “It’s quite ironic really, given the words of the song.”

Remus raised an eyebrow. “Well, it’s got them written here. Do you want me to read them or …?”

Ginny rounded the sofa and read over his shoulder. “No, I can remember the tune.” She took a second to pitch the note in her head, before singing the first verse in a clear voice.

**“ _I know we’ve been friends forever,_**

**_But now I think I’m feeling something totally new._ **

**_And after all this time, I’ve opened up my eyes,_ **

**_Now I see; you were always with me._ ** **”**

Ginny paused, letting Remus continue.

**After all, she and Viktor hadn’t known each other very long; surely it should feel weirder to dance with him than with Harry.**

**But then … it didn’t feel weird to dance with Harry; she was just very, very aware that she was doing it.**

_Addie_ smiled, remembering how she suddenly became aware of all the little touches that passed between her and _Sirius_ after they started dating.

**“ _Could it be, you and I never imagined?_**

**_Could it be, suddenly I’m falling for you?_ **

**_Could it be, you were right here beside me and I never knew?_ **

**_Could it be, that it’s true and it’s you?_ **

**_Could it be that it’s you?_ ** **”**

Ginny smiled to herself as she saw the realisation cross Harry’s face.

**His dancing had improved greatly since Ginny had started teaching him by the lake, but there was a definite difference now than when she had watched them earlier in the evening.**

“I noticed that.” Ginny remarked. “Looked like they’d been dancing their whole lives.”

“But we’d never danced before.” Harry argued.

“Now where have we seen _that_ before?” _Sirius_ asked.

“James and Lily.” _Addie_ said with a fond smile. “Or, if you ask Lily, you and me.”

**Gone were the constant glances down at his feet to make sure they were in the same place, and as soon as she realised that, Hermione realised that she hadn’t been doing it either.**

“Ginny,” Remus prompted.

**“ _It’s kinda funny you were always near,_**

**_But who would ever thought that we would end up here,_ **

**_And every time I’ve needed you, you’ve been there for me,_ **

**_Now it’s clear, I’ve been waiting for you._ ** **”**

“Why don’t we ever get songs like this in the magical world?” Arabella sighed. “Wizard Rock or mushy ballads, those are our only options.”

**Their feet moved almost instinctively, their movements fluid and practiced, even though this was the first time they had ever danced together.**

“Yep, definitely James and Lily.” _Sirius_ sighed.

 _Addie_ smirked at him. “Of all the people you want Hermione dating, Harry’s probably the best. And of all the people you want Harry dating …”

“Alright, I get it.” _Sirius_ muttered. “I see your point.”

**“ _Could it be you and I never imagined?_**

**_Could it be, suddenly I’m falling for you?_ **

**_Could it be, you were right here beside me and I never knew?_ **

**_Could it be, that it’s true and it’s you?_ **

**_Could it be that it’s you?_ ** **”**

**The music slowed, and so did the two dancers, still saying nothing, letting their eyes do the talking.**

**Ginny and Viktor appeared in her line of vision, and she flicked her eyes towards them, silently asking about Ron.**

**Harry rolled his eyes in response, his lips quirking into a smirk.**

“Bloody hell, they can read each other well.” Jen muttered.

 _Sirius_ rolled his fondly, thinking of how she and Remus read each other, but said nothing.

**“ _Cause today is the start of the rest of our lives,_**

**_I can see it in your eyes and it’s real and it’s true …_ ** **”**

**As they turned, Hermione caught sight of James and Lily across the hall, barely moving, wrapped up in each other …**

The two in question exchanged a loving smile.

**… and she smiled, her gaze sliding back to Harry’s, who looked questioningly at her.**

**“Your parents.” She mouthed, and he smiled, pulling her slightly closer with the next movement.**

**“ _And it’s just me and you,_**

**_Could it be, that it’s true and it’s you?_ **

**_Could it be you and I never imagined?_ **

**_Could it be, suddenly I’m falling for you?_ **

**_Could it be, you were right here beside me and I never knew?_ **

**_Could it be, that it’s true and it’s you?_ **

**_Could it be that it’s you?_ ** **”**

**The song came to a close …**

Ginny smiled and blushed as several people applauded. “Thank you.”

**… and Harry and Hermione stopped moving, although didn’t part. For a split-second, something rose between them, and Hermione fought to identify it …**

Lily sat up eagerly. She was fairly sure Harry and Hermione weren’t together, but she couldn’t help hoping that maybe something had happened.

**… but just as she thought she might know what it was, it was extinguished, as Ginny and Viktor approached them.**

Lily sighed, and leaned back into James’s arms.

**Without dropping her gaze, Harry lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it, before handing her back to Viktor and rejoining Ginny.**

**“Vhat is going betveen you two?” Viktor asked curiously.**

“Good question.” Draco muttered.

**Ten minutes ago, Hermione had a simple, basic answer for that.**

**Now, she just stared after him. “I actually have no idea.”**

Remus looked up. “That’s the end of that scene, if someone wants to go and get Hermione.”

 _Addie_ shifted, but Harry beat her to it.

Ginny smirked as the door slammed shut. “This should be interesting.”

Draco scowled. “That’s all very well, Weaslette, but it’s also going to completely screw up the pool.”

Fred sighed. “Man’s got a point. Dammit.”

***

In the other room, Harry found Hermione lying on a sofa, staring at the ceiling, still very red-faced.

“Is it over?” She asked, without looking at him.

“That scene is.” Harry answered, hovering next to her. “Could you sit up? I think we need to talk.”

Hermione sat up, hiding her face in her hair. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Harry said, sitting next to her. “It’s just that a few things hit me while I was listening to that, and … and I need to talk to you about them.”

“Okay.” Hermione took a deep breath and shook her hair back. “Okay, hit me.”

“Hermione …” Harry sighed. “Hermione, you’re my best friend … and I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you …”

“Harry …”

“But lately,” Harry continued firmly, over her weak protest, “I don’t know … something’s different … something more … I don’t know, _something_.”

Hermione couldn’t help smiling at Harry’s inability to verbalise the situation – she felt better knowing that he was just as clueless. “What about Cho?”

Harry sighed again. “I don’t know, Hermione. She’s pretty, but … she only ever seems to enter my mind when I can _see_ her. And how she makes me feel ... I don’t know if I have a crush on her or if she intimidates me.”

“Not exactly the best start to a relationship.” Hermione quipped.

“Plus, Cedric …” Harry trailed off. “It doesn’t feel right. And it hasn’t felt right since the beginning of fourth year, when I started seeing them together.”

“But … the Ball …” Hermione frowned. “You were going to ask her.”

“Was I?” Harry asked. “You never asked me who I wanted to ask, remember? I did have someone in mind, and I asked her.”

“But you said you hadn’t even thought about Ginny.” Hermione said blankly.

Harry chuckled. “You know for the brightest witch of your age, you really can be oblivious sometimes. I never said she said yes.”

“But …” Hermione trailed off. “Me? You mean as friends?”

“Yeah, of course.” Harry hesitated. “Thing is, Hermione, I don’t know how I feel. The book said that you picked up an emotion between us that you couldn’t identify, and I honestly can’t help you.”

“There’s no rush.” Hermione said, standing up. “I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually.”

Harry rose as well, slipping an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him instinctively. “Or we could figure it out right now.”

Hermione admitted she could be quite oblivious when it came to matters such as this, but now her eyes were open, she knew what he was implying. If they felt nothing, it struck off one possibility and meant they didn’t spend the rest of their time here feeling awkward.

She nodded slightly. “Is this your …?” She trailed off, blushing slightly. Of course it was; she would have known if it wasn’t.

Harry nodded regardless, smiling slightly. “Yours?”

Hermione nodded a second time, her blush deepening. “Harry? Even if that’s not … what it is … I’m glad it’s you.”

Harry’s smile widened to the grin he had inherited from his father, the one that seemed to make her stomach disappear when it was directed at her. “Me too.”

He touched her face gently, brushing a strand of hair from her face, and then his lips were pressed against hers, his other arm winding around her waist.

Hermione considered herself quite a practical girl, and the popular description of the ‘first kiss’ that always seemed to include fireworks and a heavenly chorus had always made her scoff disbelievingly.

But this was everything she had read about and more.

They pulled away breathlessly, staring at each other in shock.

Silence rose between them – not an awkward silence, but a silence nonetheless.

Hermione broke it first. “I think it’s safe to say that’s what it is.”

***

“What’s taking them?” Draco asked quietly.

“Oh, leave them alone.” Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

At that moment the door opened, and Harry and Hermione walked out, smiling. They settled down between James and Lily, and _Addie_ and _Sirius._

“Carry on, Remus.” Hermione said calmly.

“But …” Ginny protested.

Draco put a hand over her mouth. “Carry on.”

**Less than an hour later, Viktor and Hermione parted ways in the Entrance Hall, and she made her way up to the Gryffindor common room, letting her hair out of its top-knot as she went.**

**She fully intended on trying to figure out what, exactly, that feeling had been and – more importantly – whether it had come from Harry or herself, or even both of them …**

Here, Remus paused, as everyone turned to look at Harry and Hermione.

Ginny, who had fought Draco off, was the one who spoke. “Well? Which was it?”

“Both of us.” Hermione said with a smile.

“And what was it?” Ginny prompted.

The two exchanged a smile, and Hermione shrugged. “Who knows?”

“Hermione!” Ginny whined.

Hermione smirked. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell, Ginny.”

“Technically,” Harry commented, “you just did.” He glanced at Remus, who smiled and kept reading, before anyone could ask.

**… but her path was interrupted, when she climbed through the portrait hole and came face-to-face with a very angry Ron.**

The light-hearted atmosphere tightened again, and Harry automatically put an arm around Hermione’s shoulders.

**“What the hell did you think you were doing?”**

**Hermione raised an eyebrow. “What?” She was playing stupid on purpose, of course, but she had no intentions of playing along.**

“Good girl.” _Addie_ murmured.

**Ron glared at her. “That! Viktor Krum, Hermione! Harry’s opponent! How could you?!”**

“I didn’t hear Harry complaining.” Mandy said coldly. **  
**

**Hermione sighed. “Harry already knew who I was going with.” She said flatly. “He had no problem with it.”**

**“You’re fraternising with the enemy!” Ron repeated heatedly.**

“Do you get the feeling that he’s run out of arguments?” Arabella asked lightly.

Ginny sighed. She wanted to defend her brother, but she knew right now it would do more harm than good.

**Hermione laughed humourlessly. “Oh, play a new record, Ron. This one’s scratched.” She pushed past him and started up the stairs to the dormitories.**

**“He’s going to hurt you!” Ron called after her.**

Sirius sighed. “Jen, I’ve never been this bad, right?”

Jen smiled slightly. “Never.”

“Thank Merlin.”

**Heaving another sigh, Hermione turned around to face him. “No, he won’t because we’re not dating. He has a girlfriend and he asked me to keep him company so he wouldn’t have to put up with a giggling fan-girl all night.”**

**“A-ha!” Ron cried triumphantly. “See?! He is using you!”**

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake!” Ginny exploded, giving up on trying to defend Ron, if only in her mind. “That’s exactly why Harry asked me and you didn’t have a problem with that! Hermione is like your sister, and I know you care about her, so why are you acting like such a pig-headed …”

She looked like she would continue for a while, and Fred seemed reluctant to interrupt her, so Draco squeezed her arm. “Ginny? I’m sure Hermione’s going to yell at him as well.”

Ginny folded her arms, scowling. “Well, my brother’s a prat.”

“It’s not his fault.” Fred put in. “George and I got an extra dose of awesome.”

**“It’s not being used if it’s with my consent!” Hermione yelled, finally snapping, ignoring the other Gryffindors. “Harry did the exact same thing by asking Ginny – you don’t seem to have a problem with that one, did you?!”**

“Exactly.” Ginny muttered mutinously.

**“Hermione, he’s trying to get information on Harry!” Ron argued. “Why else would he have asked you?!”**

“Maybe because she’s a very smart, very pretty girl with a big heart and a sense of humour?” Harry suggested, his arm tightening around her. “Why else?” He turned to Hermione. “Just let me hit him!”

“No, Harry!” Hermione sighed. “Honestly, it’s not that bad …”  
“No, I’m with Harry.” Draco scowled. “He insulted you more than I did last year.” **  
Hermione put a hand on the stair-rail, steadying herself. “Right, because he wouldn’t look twice at me otherwise, would he? Even if that _is_ why he asked me, Harry has always had my full support in this Tournament, unlike _some_ people.”**

“Low blow.” James commented, with a smirk. “Well done.”

**She couldn’t help the satisfaction she felt when Ron’s ears turned red in embarrassment. “And you can say he’ll hurt me all you like; he’s treated me a damn sight better than you have over the last few months.”**

“That’s true.” Jen frowned. **  
“Damn it, Hermione, you’re not listening to me!” Ron yelled.**

**“I am listening – you’re just not making any sense!” Hermione yelled back. “If you don’t like it, you know what the solution is, don’t you?”**

Sirius and James made a couple of suggestions that had Addie and Lily smacking them over the head.

**“Oh yeah?!” Ron asked. “And what’s that?”**

**“Next time there’s a ball, ask me before someone else does and not as a last resort!” Hermione snapped, turning and fleeing up the stairs.**

**She ducked into the nearest toilet and barricaded the door, feeling tears begin to cascade down her cheeks.**

Harry drew her closer, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

“Are you two together now?” Ginny asked bluntly. “Because if you are, Fred owes me two galleons.”

Harry looked mildly offended that they had been the subject of a betting pool, but Hermione just shrugged. “For the purposes of this reading, we’ve admitted we have feelings for each other. Given that we’re not going to remember anything that happens in here, it seems pointless making any huge life-changing decisions.”

“Forever practical.” Harry muttered affectionately.

**The rational side of her mind told her that Ron was just trying to protect her, but it didn’t make her feel any better.**

“It never does.” Ginny sighed.

**Lily appeared beside her and leaned against the wall. “I’d hug you, but I can’t.”  
Hermione managed a laugh, hiccupping slightly through her tears. “It’s fine.”**

**“James is yelling at Ron.” Lily told her.**

_Sirius_ smirked. “Thanks, mate.”

**“But Ron can’t hear him.” Hermione pointed out.**

**Lily smiled. “I know. But it’s making James feel better.”**

James chuckled. “I bet it is.”

**“What’s he saying?” Hermione asked curiously.**

Lily groaned. “I dread to think.”

**Lily chuckled. “I wouldn’t dare repeat it. He’s giving Sirius a run for his money.”**

_Addie_ winced. “Then you really don’t want to repeat it.”

“When have you ever heard me yelling like that?” _Sirius_ asked.

“November seventh year.” _Addie_ answered. “After … you-know-what.”

 _Sirius_ winced, remembering the day he had received the news that his ‘mum and dad’ had been murdered. She had eventually found him in the Room of Requirement, firing hexes at a duelling dummy and screaming abuse at it at the same time. She had waited patiently for him to finish, before opening her arms and letting him break down in her embrace.

**“Hermione?” A knock sounded at the door and she unlocked it to see Ginny standing outside, a concerned expression on her face. “Are you alright?”  
“I’m fine.” Hermione sniffed as Ginny hugged her. “Ron just really got to me for some reason.”**

“Not that I’m excusing what Ron said,” Lily remarked, “but events like that tend to spark an adrenaline rush. That, and the late hour, would explain why your reaction was stronger than you expected.”

Hermione nodded. “That does make sense.”

**“Ron’s a prat.” Ginny said flatly.**

Fred chuckled. “I think that was the Weasley Family Motto that year.”

**“You don’t need me to tell you that.”**

**Hermione laughed shakily. “No. No I don’t.”**

**“Harry wants to talk to you.” Ginny whispered. “Ron’s already gone up to the dorm. Harry gave him That Look.”**

“What look?” James asked.

“The Look.” Fred answered darkly. “Difficult to describe, but once you’ve seen it, you never forget it.”

**Hermione nodded, knowing the look she meant – even Ron had some sense of preservation, and he wouldn’t leave the dorm again tonight if he knew what was good for him.**

“Actually, given the strength of this one, I was surprised when Ron surfaced the next _morning_.” Ginny said, smirking when Harry turned red.

**Harry stood immediately when Hermione entered the common room, her face wet and her eyes red. “Hermione, you’ve been crying.”  
It was a statement of the obvious, but Hermione tried to reassure him nonetheless.**

“It didn’t work.” Ginny told her kindly.

“I kind of guessed that.” Hermione said dryly.

**The words stuck in her throat, though, a sob escaped her, and she found herself in Harry’s arms, crying into his dress robes.**

**Ginny must have signalled something over her head, because he let out an angry hiss and tightened his arms around her. “Ron’s a prat, Mione.”**

There were a few half-hearted chuckles.

**Hermione smiled into his robes. “That’s what Ginny said.”**

**“Are you sure _you’re_ not my brother instead of Ron?” Ginny teased.**

“Lily, is there something you’re not telling me?” James asked jokingly.

Lily sighed dramatically. “Oh, darling, I hoped I’d never have to tell you this …” she burst out laughing at the look on his face. “I’m kidding, James. Don’t dish it out if you can’t take it.”

**Harry grinned at her. “With this hair? Doubt it.”**

“You could never be mistaken as anything other than a Potter,” _Addie_ said with a fond smile.

**He focused on Hermione again. “What’s really bothering you, ‘Mione?”**

**Hermione dried her eyes and looked up at him. “Not wanting to back you into a corner or anything …”**

“Nice knowing you, Potter.” Draco commented.

**“Uh oh!” Ginny joked. “Run for it, Harry!”**

**Hermione swatted her arm, still looking at Harry. “Harry, do you think I’m pretty?”**

“Yes.” Several people answered, causing Hermione to blush scarlet.

**“Yes.” Harry answered instantly, guiding her to sit on the sofa. “Anyone could tell you that. And you knocked everyone dead tonight.”**

“You really did.” Draco agreed.

**Ginny nodded in agreement. “I had to close Harry’s mouth for him. He was gawping.”**

_Sirius_ chuckled. “Smooth, Harry.”

 _Addie_ rolled her eyes. “Like you were any better in seventh year. It took you ten minutes to form a complete sentence.” **  
Hermione couldn’t help blushing. “You were?”**

**Harry chuckled. “Hell, yeah. You’ve always been pretty, Mione; tonight was just a wake-up call, that’s all. Not just for me, either. Half the boys in that hall couldn’t keep their eyes off you.”**

“I thought Harry was going to hex half of them.” Ginny remarked cheerfully.

**Hermione’s blush deepened even further. “Really?”**

**“Really.” Ginny confirmed. “Ignore Ron.”  
“Oh, what’s he done now?” Fred’s voice asked from behind them, laden with annoyance.**

**“Did he …?” George rounded the sofa and stopped, seeing the tear-streaks on Hermione’s face.**

Fred looked distinctly annoyed. “I still wish you’d let us hurt him.”

“Fred …” Hermione sighed.

“No.” Fred interrupted. “If he’d made Ginny cry, we’d have made him regret it – what makes you any different?”

**He paused, his jaw hardening, and knelt in front of her, taking her hands. “How many times do you want us to punch him, sis?”**

**A warm glow filled her and she smiled softly. “Don’t punch him.”**

**Fred sighed. “Well, alright. But you’d better have a good place to get rid of the body.”**

Sirius and James sniggered. **  
Hermione gave him a stern look, although it lacked heat.**

“It is difficult when you’re just as mad.” Addie sympathised, remembering the number of times she had – reluctantly – reined in the Marauders while they were planning revenge on Amos.

**“Don’t kill him either. Just let it go.”  
The twins exchanged a look over her head, before sighing in unison.**

**“Alright, we won’t …”**

**“… do anything …”**

**“… if you’re sure.”**

**“I am sure.” Hermione insisted, too tired to work out who had said what.**

“I’m surprised you ever manage it.” Draco said.

**“He doesn’t even know what he did. Now …” She stood up, stretching. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”**

**“Alright. Goodnight …”**

**… and sweet dreams.” Fred and George enveloped her in a hug, and disappeared up the stairs to the sixth year dorms.**

**Ginny followed their example and made her way up the girls’ staircase, carrying her shoes in one hand.**

“Smart move.” Lily said, wincing.

“Why do women insist on wearing shoes that hurt them?” Sirius asked blankly.

“Because the comfortable ones look terrible with dress robes.” Addie answered. “Sometimes you just have to make a few sacrifices.”

**Hermione didn’t blame her – her own feet were aching – and she slipped her shoes off too, promptly losing a good few inches in height and sighing softly as her bare feet came into contact with soft carpet.**

“That’s the best feeling.” Jen sighed.

**“That’s better.” She stooped to pick up her shoes and hugged Harry once more. “Night, Harry.”**

**“Night, Hermione.” Harry caught her arm as she pulled away. “I meant what I said, you know.”**

“Of course I did.” Harry whispered to her.

**“I know.” Hermione assured him, sliding out of his grip to squeeze his hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, she went back up to her dorm, staving off Lavender and Parvati’s questions, at least until the next day.**

“Wasn’t easy.” Hermione muttered.

**It was good to have family, she thought, even if it wasn’t by blood.**

Remus looked up. “That’s the end of the chapter.”

“And what an interesting one it was.” Jen said slightly, smiling at Harry and Hermione. “When are we stopping for dinner?”

“Well, we had lunch just before the first task.” Harry said. “So if we have dinner before the second?”  
“Good idea.” Hermione agreed. “You know, there’s no way we’re getting this book finished in one day.”

“No way.” Remus agreed. “Look at the size of it. Who’s reading next?”


	22. Chapter Twenty - The Golden Egg

_Sirius_ took the offered book and turned to the next chapter.

**Chapter Twenty**

**The Golden Egg**

“Second task?” Lily asked.

Hermione shook her head. “Unlikely. If it continues to take some events from my point of view, I found out about my mum before the second task and that was after we worked out what it was and how to deal with it.”

**It took nearly a month for all the excitement caused by the Yule Ball to fade away completely.**

“I don’t know if ours ever did.” _Addie_ remarked.

“It did.” _Sirius_ said quietly. “We had other things to think about.” He didn’t elaborate, but his grip tightened on her hand, leaving her in no doubt as to what he was referring.

**Ron apologised profusely after a week and, despite being fairly sure that he still didn’t know what he was apologising for, Hermione had forgiven him.**

Hermione raised a hand before anyone could interrupt.

**Reluctantly.**

The girls nodded understandingly.

**After telling Harry and Ginny numerous times that he was on his last chance and having them agree that, if he acted like that again, it would be the last time she ever spoke to him, friendship be damned.**

“Understandable.” Addie said coolly.

**However, Ron seemed to have undergone a personality transplant during that week. His emotional range was still about the size of the average teaspoon, but he seemed more tactful now.**

“Really?” Mandy asked. “I suppose miracles _can_ happen.”

**Ginny said it was because he’d only just realised he saw Hermione like a sister, so it had confused him why he felt so angry about her ‘dating’ Viktor.**

**This made no sense to Hermione at all, but then Ginny had known Ron for longer than she had, so maybe it did make sense to her.**

“It did.” Ginny said with a smile.

**In any case, she had other things to worry about.**

“Oh, Merlin,” Lily groaned. “What now?!”

**Ron and Ginny, while walking through the rose garden during the Yule Ball, had accidentally overheard Hagrid confessing to Madam Maxime that he was half-giant, through his mother.**

James blinked. “Well that’s … more surprising than it should be.”

Lily frowned. “How does that even work logistically? I mean, she would have been – what – thirty feet tall? And his dad was six foot at most. How is that even possible?”

Jen grimaced. “Best not think about it, Lils.”

**Unfortunately, Rita Skeeter had caught wind of it …**

“Not through us.” Ginny put in hastily. “We didn’t breathe a word of it, except to Harry and Hermione, and that was in the Room of Requirement.”

**… and released a scathing article entitled ‘Dumbledore’s Giant Mistake’, which led to Hagrid taking a temporary leave from teaching, and Hermione lashing out at Rita in Hogsmeade.**

“Lashing out?” James asked, sounding amused.

“I told her she was a horrible woman who didn’t care who she hurt to get a story.” Hermione summarised.

Addie raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got guts.”

**She maintained that the woman had it coming and was determined to find out her secret …**

“Secret?” Lily asked curiously.

**… she’d been banned from Hogwarts grounds for months, so she had to be using illegal methods to get her information …**

Jen frowned. “Now that’s interesting.”

**… especially since some of it was coming from students – Buckbeak’s ‘attack’ on Draco had been dragged up again …**

Draco held his hands up in protest. “Not by me. That was Nott.”

“He seems to be taking your place as my Stalker-In-Chief.” Harry commented. “You stop following me around and causing trouble, so he starts.”

“Harry!” Fred protested. “Colin is your Stalker-In-Chief; don’t insult him by comparing him to Nott.”

“If Colin’s my Stalker-In-Chief, what’s Nott?” Harry asked. “And what was Draco?”

Fred looked thoughtful. “Hmm … good question. I’ll think of something.”

**… although curiously enough, not by him, and Crabbe had told a tragic tale of being bitten by a Flobberworm.**

Jen rolled her eyes. “Flobberworms don’t have teeth – did people really believe that rubbish?”

“Unfortunately.” Hermione scowled.

**Harry, however, was worried about something else. “You want to be careful, Hermione.” He warned one evening, as they tried to figure out the secret behind the golden egg.**

“Ah yes.” Arabella frowned. “The high-pitched wail.”

**Hermione glanced up from her text book. “Why’s that?”**

**“Rita Skeeter.” Harry elaborated. “You’ll be next.”**

“And I was right.” Harry frowned.

Hermione smiled slightly, even as his hands covered the scars on hers. “It wasn’t that bad.”

Ginny snorted. “Did you read the same article?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Please, I’ve seen five-year-olds who could do a better job.”

“What exactly did she do?” _Sirius_ asked. “I never saw that.”

“That’s because it was published in _Witch Weekly_.” Hermione answered. “And the … backlash had stopped by the time we saw you again.”

“Backlash?” _Sirius_ repeated.

“It’ll come up.” Hermione told him, resting her head on Harry’s shoulder. “I’ll tell you then.” **  
“Oh, she doesn’t scare me.” Hermione scoffed. “I can’t think of a single piece of dirt she could drag up …**

“When in doubt, make something up.” Ginny shrugged. “You should have known that wouldn’t stop her.”  
“Again, Ginny, it was an amateur attempt.” Hermione said calmly.

**… aside from my you-know what, and we haven’t mentioned that since she appeared on the scene – and that’s the way it’s going to stay.” She added sternly, receiving nods from her companions.**

“Is that still …?” Lily trailed off.

“As far as I know.” Hermione confirmed. “The only people that know are Ron, Ginny, Harry, Sirius, Mandy, Arabella and Remus. And now Fred and Draco, but since they’re getting Obliviated at the end of this, they don’t really count.”

**“Besides, my parents are Muggles – they don’t get the _Daily Prophet_.”**

**Ginny sighed, closing her own book and glaring at the egg as though it had offended her. “Harry, I don’t suppose Jess had another dream telling you what the second task is, did she?”**

“That’d be nice.” Harry sighed.

**Harry chuckled. “No, I’d have told you if she …”  
Hermione cut him off with a gasp. “Harry! Did you write to Mandy and Arabella and tell them about the dream?**

Harry winced. “Guilty. I’d been writing to them, but I completely forgot to tell them about the dream.”

“Given what happened that night, Harry, we probably forgot about it as well.” Mandy frowned.

**You promised them you would when we ran into them at the Quidditch World Cup, remember?”**

**“Bugger.” Harry muttered, under his breath. The meeting had completely slipped his mind, driven out by the terror of the Death Eater’s march later that night. “No, I completely forgot.”  
Hermione sighed, pulling a piece of parchment towards her. “Honestly, Harry …”**

“It was understandable.” Harry protested. “You’d forgotten.”

“I know.” Hermione kissed his cheek quickly. “Sorry.”

**Loading her quill, she jotted down a quick explanation about Jess, just in case they’d forgotten since August, before copying out the words from her dream and their guesses.**

**Lily, who was reading Ron’s text book over his shoulder, chuckled. “I’d love to say he gets that absent-mindedness from his father, but he doesn’t.**

“I was going to say.” James smirked. “That’s all you.”

**Has he at least been remembering to write to Jess?”**

**“Have you been writing to Jess?” Hermione asked dutifully.**

**“Twice a week.” Harry assured her, before sighing heavily. “Maybe I should just take Cedric’s advice.”**

“Advice?” Arabella questioned. “He gave you advice and you didn’t take it?”

“Yet.” Harry corrected. “I hadn’t taken it _yet_.”

**The other three ceased all activity, staring at him.**

**“Harry,” Ginny said slowly, “did Cedric tell you something?”**

**Harry nodded. “After the Yule Ball. He suggested I take a bath with my egg …**

Jen groaned. “Of course!”

“What?” Several people asked.

“A high-pitched wailing.” Jen repeated. “Water. What do you get, Lily?”

Lily frowned. “Why are you asking me?”

“Sirius?” Jen prompted. “Water. Wailing. What’s the connection?”

“I don’t …” Sirius stopped, realisation crossing his face. “Merpeople. The wailing is a clue in Mermish.”

**… and to use the prefects’ bathroom – gave me the password and everything.”**

“Take it.” James said immediately. “That bathroom’s incredible.”

“It really is.” Harry, Lily, Remus, Regulus, Narcissa, David, _Sirius_ and _Addie_ agreed.

“Wait, how do you two know?” Mandy asked _Sirius_ and _Addie_. “You two were never prefects. And we know you weren’t Heads.”

The two exchanged a glance and a slightly reminiscent, slightly sheepish smile, before _Sirius_ cleared his throat and started reading again.

**“A bath?” Hermione repeated, her mind racing.**

**“A bath.” Harry confirmed with another nod. “Do you think he was lying?”**

**“No.” Ginny answered, as Ron said, “yes.”**

Arabella rolled her eyes. “Is this still about the Quidditch thing?”

Hermione nodded amusedly. “Yep.” **  
“He’s fair.” She pointed out, when her brother rolled his eyes. “He wouldn’t do something like that.”**

**“Why not?” Ron retorted.**

**“You just don’t like him because he beat Gryffindor at Quidditch.” Hermione muttered, still thinking hard.**

**“It makes sense.” Ginny insisted. “Harry tipped him off about the dragons, remember? Hufflepuffs hate owing anyone anything …**

“That was a bit broad.” Fred frowned. “There’s a guy going into fifth year – Zacharias Smith …”

“Oh, I know him.” Hermione grimaced. “He’s in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy with me.”

Draco pulled a face. “Git. How he got into Hufflepuff …”

“He hasn’t got the brains for Ravenclaw or the subtlety for Slytherin, and I’m willing to bet he’s a coward.” Hermione said darkly.

“Is he that bad?” Harry asked.

“When he first spoke, I thought Draco had managed to clone himself.” Hermione said. “And I’m sorry for that,” she added to Draco.

“No, I’m sorry.” He said sombrely. “If I acted like _that_ git, I really owe you an apology.”

“My point is,” Fred interrupted, “that not all Hufflepuffs are like that.”

“No.” Ginny agreed. “But Cedric w … is.”

**… so he tipped Harry off to even the score.”  
“But how’s taking a bath going to help?” Harry asked in bewilderment.**

**“Because some creatures can only communicate underwater.” Hermione whispered. “What sounds like wailing out of water may well make sense under it.”**

Jen nodded. “Didn’t think of merpeople?”

“Not off the top of my head.” Hermione admitted. “How did you think of it?”

“Mum.” The twins chorused.

**“So you think I should go for it?” Harry checked; she nodded. “In the prefects’ bathroom?”**

**“It’s probably easiest.” Hermione agreed. “There’s a bath in there apparently.**

“There is.” _Addie_ confirmed.

Her younger counterpart stared at her. “On second thoughts, I don’t want to know how you know that.”

**It’s either that, or you go and stick your head in the lake.”**

“Harry, don’t even think about it!” Lily stated.

“I _didn’t_ , Mum, don’t worry.” Harry said, stressing the word to remind her that they were talking about the past. **  
Harry looked out the window at the grey skies and howling winds, and shuddered. “No thanks.”**

“A wise choice.” David chuckled.

**“You’ve got the Cloak and the Map,” Ron added, warming up to the idea. “You shouldn’t get caught. Best do it after-hours as well, so you definitely have privacy.”**

**“Good idea.” Hermione agreed.**

Mandy raised an eyebrow. “It might be me, but from what we’ve read, that’s unusual.”  
“Unusual?” Neville repeated with a grin. “It was practically the apocalypse!”

Hermione gave him a funny look. “How’d you know what the apocalypse is? I thought it was a Muggle idea.”

“Family library.” Neville answered. “It was in a book there; I read it when I was younger.”

“Apocalypse?” James repeated, looking bewildered.

“Muggle thing.”

**Ginny gasped theatrically, clutching her heart. “Are my ears deceiving me?! Did Hermione Granger just agree with Ron Weasley that rule-breaking is the best course of action?”  
Harry caught her as she pretended to faint from the armchair. “Fear not, fair maiden! The world may be ending, but I have a Transfiguration essay and the sword of Gryffindor!”**

Lily burst out laughing. “Oh, Merlin, that’s James!”

James beamed. “Like father, like son.” ****  
A Herbology textbook landed on the rug beside them, followed shortly by Neville. “Do I want to know?”  
“No.” Harry informed him, ducking the pillow Hermione threw at him so it hit Ginny in the face.

“Harry!” Lily chided.

**“Hey!” Ginny protested. “So you’ll slay a basilisk for me, but leave me to face a pillow?”**

“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.” Harry said lazily.

**“It’s a pillow, Gin!” Harry exclaimed. “Do you have any idea what it would do to me?!”**

**“Now who’s acting like an old married couple?” Hermione asked sweetly.**

Ginny and Harry shuddered in unison.

**“Hermione!” Ron whined. “That’s my _best friend_ and my _sister_.”**

**“Hermione!” Harry protested, in the same tone. “That’s _me_ and _my_ sister.”**

Jen sniggered.

**Hermione smirked at them. “And?”**

**Ron and Harry exchanged a glance, the latter getting up from the carpet. “Get her.”**

**Before Hermione could protest, the two boys had dived in unison and were tickling her mercilessly.**

**Her shrieks of laughter echoed around the common room, momentarily distracting everyone else, who glanced over, realised it was just the Golden Trio have one of their ‘moments’ …**

“One of our moments?” Hermione repeated. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That you have ‘moments’,” Ginny smirked. “Frequently.”

**… and turned back to what they were doing.**

**For her part, Ginny, ignoring Hermione’s pleas for help …**

“Thanks for that.” Hermione pouted.

“Anytime.” Ginny said brightly.

**… simply turned to Neville, as he asked, “So how’s third year going?”**

**“Pretty good.” Ginny answered, raising her voice to match his, so they could both be heard. “Although DADA’s a bit of a let-down. Don’t get me wrong, Moody’s interesting, but he’s not …”**

“Not what?” David asked curiously.

“Not Remus.” Ginny finished with a smile at the blushing Gryffindor. **  
“Professor Lupin.” Neville finished with a nod. “I’d definitely rather have him back. There’s something about Moody … I just don’t … I don’t trust it. Whatever ‘it’ is.”**

“I’ll tell you something, Nev; you’ve got great instincts.” Harry muttered, leaning back.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Harry. “Please don’t ruin my fun.”

“Yes, dear.” Harry kissed her forehead. “They didn’t hear me.”

**“I don’t know …” Ginny said slowly. “I mean, like I said, I miss Professor Lupin as well. Werewolf or not, he was the best teacher I’ve ever had …”**

Remus turned bright red, as Jen kissed him.

“I’m proud of you, love.” **  
“You’re not alone there.” Harry threw in, without pausing.**

**“… but I think Moody’s paranoia’s rubbing off on you.” Ginny finished. “Moody and Dumbledore are old friends – he’d know if there was something wrong.”**

“Or would he?” Hermione asked quietly, too quietly for anyone but Harry to hear.

**A sudden flash alerted them and the three on the sofa stopped abruptly, Harry’s hand flying to his pocket, where his wand was.**

“Good instincts.” David approved.

**One of the twins …**

“Me.” Fred rolled his eyes. “You’re normally better than that, Mya.”

“I was out of breath.” Hermione said defensively.

**… was standing in front of the fire, smirking at them, a camera in his hand. “Photo op!” He chirruped with a grin. “I’ll get you a copy.”**

Lily smiled. “That’s the photo you showed us earlier.”

**“Don’t let Rita Skeeter get hold of that.” Ginny warned with a smirk. “I dread to think what she’d make of it.”**

Harry shuddered. “Don’t even joke.”

**Hermione rolled her eyes, caught her breath, and turned to Harry, smacking Ron’s hand away as he threatened to start tickling her again. “So are you going tonight?”  
Harry let out a steady breath, and nodded. “Tonight.”**

“Just be careful.” Lily warned.

“I was, Mum.” Harry said gently.

**The next evening, Hermione, Ron and Ginny gathered around Harry in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, eager to hear what he’d found out.**

**He had spent the day avoiding their questions, but now, as the Common Room began emptying, he didn’t look like he was about to put it off any longer.**

**“First,” Harry said quietly, “we have a mystery on our hands.”**

Lily groaned. “Harry!”

“Like you’re any better.” James teased. “It’s not _just_ a Potter trait.”

**Ron and Ginny’s eyes lit up, but Hermione, as intrigued as she was, groaned quietly. “Harry, you’ve got to compete in the bloody Triwizard Tournament – don’t tell me you went looking for _more_ trouble.”  
“I don’t go looking for trouble, Hermione – trouble finds me.” Harry said patiently.**

“That’s going to end up engraved on your headstone if you’re not careful.” Hermione warned.

Harry shrugged. “At least it’s appropriate.”

**“Anyway, I was coming back from the prefect’s bathroom – it’s amazing in there, by the way – when I saw Crouch’s name on the Map.”**

“Barty Crouch?” David asked sharply.

“Again, maybe it’s his son.” Alice suggested. “We’ve already established that the Map doesn’t distinguish between Junior and Senior.”

**“Crouch?” Hermione repeated, despite her silent promise not to get involved. “As in the judge?”**

**Harry nodded. “He was in Snape’s office.”**

James frowned. “Why would Barty Jr be in Snape’s office?”

“Pass.” Alice answered, looking confused. “As far as I know they’re not friends … Maybe it is Crouch Sr.”

“Or one of them is under the Imperius.” Sirius reminded them. “We’ve already established it’s likely.”  
“Again, why would either of them be in Snape’s office?” James asked.

**“So he’s too sick to come up for the Tournament, but he’s fine to visit Snape?” Ginny asked sceptically.**

**“That’s just it.” Harry said. “Snape wasn’t in his office.”**

“Curiouser and curiouser.” Lily murmured.

“Er, Lily?” Addie asked. “Curiouser isn’t a word.”

“Muggle book.” Lily smiled. “Alice in Wonderland; I’ll explain later.”

**“So why was Crouch there?” Ron asked.**

**“That’s what I thought.” Harry agreed. “So I went to have a look …”**

“Why am I not surprised?” Lily muttered.

“Because that’s what you’d do?” Mandy guessed innocently.

**“Of course you did.” Hermione muttered.**

**Harry blushed. “But I got stuck in the trick stair.”**

“Harry!” James groaned. “How does that even happen?!”  
“I was distracted.” Harry protested, bright red. **  
“Harry!” Three voices cried.**

**“I know.” Harry groaned. “I dropped the Egg, and the Map – it was too far away to wipe it, the Egg was wailing, Filch, Snape _and_ Moody turned up …”**

Sirius groaned in sympathy. “Bad luck.”

“That’s what I thought.” Harry agreed. **  
Hermione sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt the onset of a headache. “How many nights of detention?”**

**“None.” Harry smirked.**

“What?” Arabella asked blankly.

“Is that even possible?” Remus questioned.

**“None of them noticed the Map to start with, and I was under the Cloak.**

“Moody knew I was there.” Harry put in. “He can see through the Cloak.”

**Crouch must have left by then, because Snape was saying that he noticed that someone had been in his office – Moody’s searched it in the past, apparently.”**

“Oh, has he?” James asked suspiciously.

Jen sighed. “Not wanting to play devil’s advocate, Prongs, but given how paranoid Moody seems to be, I wouldn’t have put it past him to search all the teachers’ offices. It’s what I’d do.”

**“Ha!” Ron muttered.**

**“That doesn’t surprise me.” Hermione said thoughtfully. “Moody’s so paranoid, I wouldn’t be surprised if he searched all their offices.”**

“Again, it must be the Black blood.” _Addie_ chuckled.

“Must be.” Harry agreed. “Sirius said exactly the same thing.”

**“But then Moody said something about spots that don’t come off, and Snape grabbed his left forearm, like he was in pain.” Harry continued, looking at Ron and Ginny.**

David frowned. “I wonder what that could be.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “The aurors don’t know? How did you know?” She asked _Sirius._

“My family tree reads like a Who’s Who of Voldemort’s Inner Circle.” _Sirius_ reminded her. He turned to David. “Voldemort ‘marks’ his followers on their left forearms. If they’re underage, it’s more of a symbol than anything else. Once they’re adults, he charms it with the Protean Charm. That’s how they identify each other and how he communicates with them.”

“You mean the Death Eaters have had a nice handy tattoo all this time?” David asked incredulously. “And we’ve been relying on Veritaserum?”

“Well, the Dark Mark can be hidden.” _Sirius_ pointed out. “I don’t remember Peter suddenly relying on long sleeves, and yet I never noticed it.”

“Well, he’s got it now.” Hermione said darkly. “Although why he wouldn’t bother hiding it in the middle of summer …”

“Any and all glamours were removed by entering through the door.” Harry answered, reading off a note that had just appeared.

“Mine didn’t.” Hermione frowned, running a hand through her hair.

“We didn’t enter through the door though.” Fred pointed out with a grin.

David turned to Regulus, who sighed and glanced at _Sirius_ and _Addie_. The latter smiled encouragingly, and he rolled up his sleeve with a sigh, revealing the Dark Mark emblazoned on his left forearm.

“So you are.” David said quietly, a hint of disgust in his voice.

“But not loyal.” _Addie_ finished softly, causing everyone to look at her. “Well, he won’t be loyal in March of next year. I can’t see that big a turnaround happening that quickly.”

Regulus sighed. “No, it happened about a year after I joined.”

“And that is why you never make huge life-changing decisions until you’re at least sixteen.” _Addie_ said with a smile, easily falling back into their old banter.

“But …” David began.

“Leave it.” _Addie_ advised. “You’ll forget everything later and he’s on our side anyway.”

Jen was the only person who hadn’t reacted to her brother’s Mark – everyone else (even though they had already known) had made some sort of noise or movement. She stared at the book in _Sirius_ ’s hand, and Remus squeezed her hand comfortingly.

Sighing heavily, David took _Addie_ ’s advice. “Why was Snape in pain?”

“When the Dark Lord calls us, the Mark burns.” Regulus answered, tugging his sleeve down again. “I would assume that as he becomes stronger, the Protean Charm is beginning to reactivate.”

Catching Jen’s eye, _Addie_ nudged _Sirius_. “Read.”

**Both looked perplexed. “Sorry,” Ginny sighed, “I’ve never heard of that.”**

**Hermione shook her head as well. “Don’t know. You said to start with – did they see the Map?”**

**“Well, Moody can see through Invisibility Cloaks,” Harry reminded her. “He pointed out the Map – thought Snape had dropped it, so I signalled that it was mine and he summoned it before Snape could see it.”**

“Decent of him.” Remus frowned in thought. “Why would he keep Harry out of trouble?”

“Maybe he wants Harry to win too.” James suggested. “He knows me and Dad, after all.”

Regulus cleared his throat. “Actually … I’ve been thinking about that. I’m not so sure we want Harry to win.”

“Go on.” David prompted.

“We’ve established that Crouch might be under the Imperius.” Regulus said slowly. “And while I agree that the head of DMLE should be able to throw it off, it’s also more difficult if you’re not expecting it.”

“And in a time of peace, you wouldn’t be.” Jen said softly. “Crouch would be able to get close to the Goblet of Fire without it looking suspicious.”

Regulus glanced at her, but she still wasn’t looking at him. “Right. So let’s assume that someone put the Imperius on Crouch, but he’s starting to fight it.”

“So they’re making him stay at home.” Sirius finished. “But that still doesn’t explain why we don’t want Harry to win.”

“Because if it’s all related, then it all relates back to Harry’s dream, which means they need him alive.” Regulus explained patiently. “And if they need Harry alive, it suggests they need him to get through the tasks. What I don’t understand is why they’ve bothered to put him in the Tournament in the first place and what the end game is. Probably some sort of kidnapping attempt, but that could be done at any time.”

“Not necessarily.” David disagreed slowly. “I would assume that a lot of important people will come to watch the final task, which means the wards will need to be lowered.”

“Which means a portkey can be used.” Regulus finished. “Right. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Wait, so we want Harry to lose?” Remus concluded, sounding bewildered. “That doesn’t seem right.”

Harry leaned in to Hermione. “How come they’re figuring this stuff out before we did?”

“They’ve been listening to this over a day, whereas we learned this stuff over several months.” Hermione answered. “Plus, they’ve got more experience, and they’ve got certain people giving them hints.” **  
“But Snape’s seen the Map before.” Ron frowned. “He must have guessed …”**

**“He did.” Harry confirmed. “Moody told him there was no one there, got the Egg back from Filch and sent them on their way.”**

**Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank Merlin.”**

“Did he at least pull you out of the step?” Lily asked.

Harry nodded with a smile. “Yeah, he did.” **  
“But that’s not all.” Harry lowered his voice. “I asked Moody why Crouch would want to poke around Snape’s office, and you know what he said?”**

**“What?” Ron asked eagerly.**

**“He said that Crouch is even more obsessed with catching Dark wizards than he is.” Harry answered, his eyes glinting. “And then he said that if there was one thing he hated, it was a Death Eater that walked free.”**

**Ron’s mouth fell open. “So Snape _is_ a Death Eater!” He hissed. “I knew it!”**

Everyone looked at Regulus, who shrugged. “Look, I couldn’t tell you every single one of the Dark Lord’s followers; there’s a reason we wear masks. It stops someone doing what Karkaroff did and what I wish I could do. Unfortunately, the names I know are ones the aurors are, I’m sure, already aware of.”

“Why do you call him ‘the Dark Lord’ if you’re not loyal?” James asked, more curious than confrontational.

“The Mark burns if I use his proper name, and I refuse to stoop to ‘You-Know-Who’.” Regulus answered. “But to go back to the original subject, I don’t think he’s a Death Eater _yet_. I would have placed him as neutral, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he then turned spy for whatever reason.”

“That explains why Peter could never hear the name.” _Sirius_ muttered, just loud enough for _Addie_ to hear.

**“Ron!” Hermione chided. “Even if Snape _was_ a Death Eater, do you really think Dumbledore would let him work here if he wished us any harm?**

“Quirrell.” Hermione muttered under her breath. “Oh, to be naïve again.”

**If anything, he’d have let Harry fall off his broom in first year, remember?”**

**Ron rolled his eyes, but Ginny cut him off before he could argue. “It’s Crouch I’m interested in. What’s he doing at the school if he’s too sick to work?”**

David frowned. “Now that I can’t make head or tail of. Even if Regulus is right about the Imperius, why bring him back to Hogwarts if he’s fighting it.” **  
“Maybe he’s just too sick to put up with Percy,” Ron sniggered. “He’s enough to give anyone indigestion.”**

Hermione laughed. “I’ve just realised, Ginny; you made that exact same joke a few weeks later.”

**Hermione frowned, thinking hard. “I know!” She said after a few seconds. “Why don’t we keep an eye on the Map, and if Crouch appears again, James and Lily can go and …”**

**“No can do.” Harry interrupted. “I don’t have the Map.**

“What do you mean ‘you don’t have the Map’?” James asked slowly.

**Moody borrowed it.”**

“He did _what?!_ ”

“He was an auror!” Harry protested.

**“You gave the Marauder’s Map to a teacher?!” Ron and James exclaimed.**

“I notice some people never change.” Lily muttered, hitting James on the arm.

**“I gave it to an auror.” Harry corrected. “Someone’s trying to off me, remember?”**

“Good boy, Harry.” Lily said proudly. **  
“Where was this sense of self-preservation last year?” Hermione muttered.**

“I left it in the Chamber of Secrets and it took me over a year to get it back.” Harry answered with a smile.

**“Besides, I was just glad he didn’t ask where I got it.” Harry admitted. “And he had just covered for me.”**

James sighed. “I suppose you’ve got a point.”

**“That’s true.” Ginny conceded, glaring at her brother. “Hermione, couldn’t James or Lily go and check on Crouch – you know, see if he’s really sick?”**

“Ah, now there’s an idea.” David said approvingly.

Hermione closed her eyes and leaned into Harry. “Thank Merlin they couldn’t get in.” So far, Voldemort seemed to have forgotten or be ignoring the Potters’ continued existence, but that could change at any moment.

**Hermione looked at the two spirits, and Lily shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Hang on.”**

**As she faded from sight, Hermione turned back to Harry. “What about the Egg, Harry?”  
Harry cleared his throat. “ _Come seek us where our voices sound_**

**_We cannot swim above the ground_ **

Jen opened her mouth, but _Sirius_ held up a hand to stop her without even looking up.

**_And while you’re searching, ponder this:_ **

**_We’ve taken what you’ll sorely miss_ **

**_An hour long you’ll have to look_ **

**_And to recover what we took_ **

**_But past an hour – the prospect’s black_ **

**_Too late, it’s gone, it won’t come back._ ** **”**

“Now,” _Sirius_ looked over at Jen. “Go for it.”  
“Well, I’m ninety-eight per cent certain that we’re talking about merpeople.” Jen said. “And they’re going to take something important that Harry has an hour to look for.”

**“Great, another riddle.” Ron muttered.**

**Harry smirked. “But I’ve already solved it. Merpeople. They’re going to take something, and I have to swim down and rescue it.”**

“I had help.” Harry admitted. “Myrtle gave me a few hints.”

“Myrtle?” James repeated. “As in Moaning Myrtle?”  
“Oh, yeah.” Harry smirked. “Apparently, she likes popping into the prefects’ bathroom every now and then. She might be a ghost, but she’s still a teenage girl.”

“I’m never using that bathroom again.” Remus muttered.

**Ginny stared at him. “Can you swim? And how are you supposed to breathe?”**

“I asked Myrtle that and she started crying.” Harry sighed. “It was the only thing I didn’t figure out.”

**“Not really, no.” Harry shrugged. “I’ll wing it.**

“But, Harry, most Muggle primary schools provide swimming lessons at the local pool.” Lily frowned. “At least, mine did.”

“Oh, mine did too.” Harry said cheerfully. “I just never took them. Aunt Petunia told them that I had a sensitive immune system and that the doctor said it was too dangerous. Jess offered when I was a bit older, but by that time, it didn’t really appeal to me.”

**As for the second, that’s where you three come in.”**

**Hermione took the text-book he offered her, as Lily reappeared. “Anything?”**

**“Nothing.” Lily sighed. “The wards around his property are remarkable. They block us out.”**

“Can you do that?” Arabella asked in surprise.

“Apparently.” Remus frowned.

**“Who puts up wards to block spirits?” Hermione asked suspiciously. “Most people don’t even know they exist.”**

**“Some people put up wards to stop ghosts and ghouls taking up residence.” James explained. “We would come under that.**

“That can’t be the only one.” Draco frowned. “Wasn’t there some sort of ward around Hogwarts at the end of the war?”

**And there are other protective wards, as well, that can affect us. I know there was a ward around Hogwarts towards the end of the war that blocked spirits …**

“Yes.” Hermione answered with a smile.

**… because Dumbledore knew Voldemort was an empath and he wanted to be safe, rather than sorry. Spirits could be used to spy, after all, if they turned out to exist.”**

**Hermione nodded in understanding. “That makes sense. Wards.” She explained to the other three. “They can’t get in.”**

**“What about the …?” Ginny began, but Hermione waved her down, looking expectantly at the Potters.**

**“Breathing underwater?”**

“Bubblehead Charm.” Lily answered promptly, before frowning. “That’s a NEWT spell though – we learned it a few weeks before the exams.”

“Damn, we’re back to square one.” James sighed.

“Not quite.” Alice said slowly. “I’m sure there’s a plant that could help.”

“They won’t think to look at plants.” Jen sighed. “I know I wouldn’t.”

Alice smiled. “Maybe not. But my son will.”

James turned to Harry. “Tell me you asked Neville.”

“I did.” Harry smirked. “I thought you all just decided you wanted me to lose.”

“We do.” David said. “But the magical contract means that you have to participate in each of the tasks – you’d need to at least go underwater.”

**“Bubblehead Charm.” Lily supplied instantly. “But that’s a NEWT level spell, and I don’t know whether Harry can get it in a month.”**

“Definitely not.” Harry stated. **  
Hermione repeated this, and Harry grimaced. “Anything else?”**

**“Not that I can think of off the top of my head.” Lily frowned. “Unless you try human transfiguration …**

“Not until he’s older.” James and David said in unison.

“Hypocrite.” Alice coughed, glancing at James.

**… but I don’t want you trying that until you’ve had more training.”**

“And you.” Alice said, smirking at Lily. “By the time you were his age, you were running around as Jade every full moon.”

**“Definitely not.” James agreed. “I can’t think of anything either, but neither of us are walking encyclopaedias.”**

“You’re definitely not.” Sirius joked.

**“Well, you’re not.” Lily teased, before smiling apologetically at Hermione. “Sorry, dear. Looks like it’s good old-fashioned research.”**

“My favourite past-time.” Hermione said cheerfully.

**“I can do that.” Hermione reached over and tapped the textbook in front of Harry. “Get to it. And don’t even think about human transfiguration.”**

**“Wasn’t planning on it.” Harry muttered, opening the book.**

**The other three followed his example and they sat in silence for a few minutes, before Ron spoke up.**

**“I still think Snape’s a Death Eater.”**

The girls sighed, but Sirius shrugged. “I’m with Ron.”

Addie rolled her eyes. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

**Ginny and Hermione sighed in annoyance.**

**“I think Mione’s right.” Harry answered, not looking up. “Besides, Dumbledore wouldn’t have hired him if he was. Maybe Moody’s just as suspicious of Snape as we are, with less trust in Dumbledore. I’m with Ginny …**

“A good place to be.” Ginny said solemnly.

**… I want to know what Crouch was doing in his office. I wrote to Sirius this morning …**

“Good.” James said softly. “He needs to know.”

**… but …”**

**“Harry, would you focus?!” Hermione interrupted. “We need to figure this out!”  
Harry fell silent, but only for a second. “What happens when it happens?”**

Lily stiffened, closing her eyes. She knew what Harry was asking, although she wasn’t sure she was ready to face the reality of the situation just yet.

**His voice was quiet, almost too quiet to hear, but the only noise in the Common Room now was that of the crackling fire, and the other three looked up, confusion painted in their expressions.**

**“When what happens?” Ginny asked.**

**Harry fidgeted slightly, keeping his gaze fixed on the book in front of him. “Someone put my name in that Goblet … they did it for a reason, probably to kill me …**

Lily let out a quiet whimper, burying her face in her hands. “Harry, please don’t talk about that so casually.”

Harry reached out and grasped her hand. “I’m fine, Mum. I’m right here.”

**… as everyone keeps reminding me. Voldemort has something to do with it, I know it. I can just feel it, you know, in my gut – he’s getting stronger … Something bad is coming … When it gets here … What happens then?”**

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Like you even have to ask.”

**Hermione pulled the book away from him and took his hands, forcing him to look up at her. “Exactly what has happened every other time. Ron and I will be right there, by your side, and we will face it head-on.”**

James smiled at her. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” Hermione insisted. “That was decided years ago.”

**“And don’t think you’re leaving me behind.” Ginny chipped in.**

**Harry looked pained. “Ron … Hermione … you don’t have to …”  
“Harry,” Ron interrupted, in a surprisingly gentle voice. “Do you remember the end of first year? You told us, if we wanted to go back, you wouldn’t blame us.”**

“When was that?” David asked.

“Just before we went down after the Philosopher’s Stone.” Hermione answered. “He told us we could take the Cloak.” ****  
Harry frowned. “Yes, but …”  
“You didn’t really think,” Hermione smiled, “that we were just talking about the Stone, did you?”

**“But you don’t …” Harry protested.**

**“Don’t be stupid.” Ron interrupted with a smile.**

**“We’re coming.” Hermione agreed.**

“And we said that.” Hermione smiled.

**“We’re not going anywhere, Harry.”**

**A ray of hope flickered on his face, and she waited patiently and knowingly, as a silent battle raged within his head, the emotions playing out, as they always did, clear and strong in his eyes; he knew he needed the support, but he didn’t want them to put themselves in danger.**

“Damn, you know me too well.” Harry muttered with a grin.

**Hermione waited, sure which side would win, but knowing that pushing the issue would do more harm than good.**

“You know, Harry reminds me of someone.” _Addie_ said thoughtfully. “I just can’t think who.”

 _Sirius_ sighed. “Isn’t me, is it?”  
 _Addie_ looked thoughtful. “Do you know, I think it might be?”  
“Sarcasm doesn’t suit you.” _Sirius_ told her unconvincingly.

**Finally, Harry heaved a sigh, and she knew it was time.**

**“We’re not going anywhere.” She repeated in a whisper.**

**“Promise?” Harry asked softly.**

**Later, Hermione would swear that had not been planning what happened next …**

“I wasn’t.” Hermione confirmed.

**… it just felt like the right thing to do.**

“It was.” She added.

“What did you do?” _Sirius_ and Lily asked in unison.

**Releasing his hands, she drew her wand. “I do so solemnly swear to stand beside you in all that is coming and to put forth all that I am to support you, no matter what.”**

_Sirius_ sucked in a breath. “Hermione, do you have any idea what you did?!”

“I took a magical oath,” Hermione said calmly, “to do exactly what I’ve always done.”

“I think what Sirius means is that you didn’t specify.” David explained. “Breaking that oath could result in anything.”

“Given that the only way I _would_ break that oath would be if I was already dead,” Hermione said slightly coolly, “we shouldn’t have a problem.”

**The tip of her wand glowed with a bright golden light, which spread into her hand and travelled up her arm and through her body.**

**Without prompting or hesitation, Ron and Ginny copied her actions and her oath word for word.**

Fred sighed, closing his eyes. “Just be careful, Gin.”

**By the time they had finished, Harry’s eyes looked suspiciously bright. “Thank you …” He opened his mouth to say more, but couldn’t seem to find the words, so closed it again.**

**They knew what he meant, though …**

“Course we did.” Ginny smiled.

**… and Ron clapped his shoulder, Ginny squeezed his hand, and Hermione kissed his cheek, before handing him the book back. “You’re welcome. Now focus.”**

**Ron chuckled. “Honestly, Mione, the thing you do to get us to study.”**

There were a few chuckles, breaking the tension that had gathered in the room.

**The tension broke, Harry laughed, and Ginny smacked her brother upside the head. Hermione rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Ron; you know …”  
“Look!” Ginny interrupted, pointing at the window.**

**A barn owl …**

“Sirius?” Jen guessed.

**… was perched outside the window, looking thoroughly miserable in the rain, and Harry dropped the book again to open the window. “That’s the owl I sent to Sirius.”**

Addie frowned. “That was fast. Didn’t Harry say he wrote that _morning_?”

“Yeah, he did.” Lily agreed, with a sigh. “Why do I think you’re in Hogsmeade?”

“Because I was?” _Sirius_ guessed.

**“Already?” Hermione asked with a frown. “That was quick.”**

**“Barn owls are the fastest post owls.” Ginny commented, as the owl landed on her chair, hooting dejectedly. “And the weather’s hardly encouraging for a leisurely flight, is it? He probably got here as fast as he could.”**

“Poor thing.” Mandy murmured.

**_Or he didn’t have far to fly._ ** **Hermione took the letter Ginny handed her, checked the name just to be sure, and handed it to Harry, who opened it.**

**Harry frowned. “I was expecting more advice, to be honest.”**

_Sirius_ grimaced. “Sorry, Harry. I guess it wasn’t the most helpful of letters.”

**“What does it say?” Ron asked impatiently.**

**“Send date of next Hogsmeade weekend.” Harry read …**

_Addie_ sighed. “You came to Hogsmeade? Of all places?”

“I needed to be close to them.” _Sirius_ argued.

 _Addie_ groaned, resting her head on his shoulder. “You’re going to turn me grey, you know that?”

**… turning the letter over just in case something else was written on the other side.**

**“Weekend after next.” Ginny supplied, glancing at the notice board. “Do you think he’s planning on flooing again?”**

_Sirius_ smiled. “Close. I was planning on seeing you.”

**Hermione frowned as well. “I don’t think so. Last time, it was just a coincidence, I think. It’s not like the Common Room’s empty on Hogsmeade weekends. It’s more likely that …” She trailed off.**

**No, just because the owl had taken such little time to respond … it was no reason to assume that Sirius was in Hogsmeade.**

“Yes, it is.” _Addie_ sighed.

**Surely he wouldn’t be so reckless as to return to Hogsmeade …**

“Yes, he would.” _Addie_ corrected.

**… a fully wizarding village, where there was a much higher chance of him being singled out for acting un-dog-like – Muggles, after all, would just assume they were seeing things.**

**_And to top it off, his form looks like the bloody Grim, so if someone decides he’s a death omen and pitches a fit …_ **

“I hadn’t thought of that.” _Sirius_ admitted.

 _Addie_ made a strange noise in the back of her throat that sounded like a cross between a whimper and a snort. “Of course you didn’t.”

 _Sirius_ put an arm around her. “Relax, I was fine.”

**“Idiot.” Hermione muttered.**

**“What was that?” Harry asked, watching her keenly. He had come to the same conclusion, she knew, and the beginnings of panic were beginning to flicker in his eyes.**

Harry narrowed his eyes. “Wait, but you said …”

**“Ron.” She lied smoothly. “He’s been staring at that same page for the last five minutes.”**

“Why did you lie to me?” Harry asked.

“Because I didn’t want you to worry over something we had no control over.” Hermione stated. “And I knew you’d start blaming yourself for heaven knows what. I’m sorry.”

Harry sighed, squeezing her shoulder. “Forget it. I understand.”

**Harry chuckled, relief flashing in his expression as he bought into the misdirection. “I don’t even know what we’re looking for.” He admitted.**

“None of us did.” Ginny sighed.

**“What’s going on?” A sleepy voice asked from the stairs.**

**“Unfortunately, Neville …**

“Oh, thank Merlin!” Lily sighed. “Ask him, quickly.”

“Mum, this has already happened.” Harry reminded her with a smile.

**… nothing much.” Ginny answered, smiling in his direction. “We didn’t wake you, did we?”**

**“No, just woke up and noticed Ron and Harry weren’t there.”**

“How did you manage that?” Remus asked.

“I needed the loo.” Neville answered. “And their curtains were still drawn, so I went to look for them.”

**Neville yawned and turned to go upstairs again. “I’ll just …”  
“Neville, wait!” Harry called, suddenly looking more alert than he had all evening. “I might need your help.”**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank Merlin.” She repeated, calmer.

**“My help?” Neville repeated disbelievingly.**

**Harry nodded. “The second task – need to retrieve something from the lake. I don’t suppose you know any plants that could help me breathe underwater.”  
Hermione slapped herself mentally. Charms and Transfiguration were all very well, but as the brightest Herbology student in their year, Neville was bound to think of something eventually.**

“Wasn’t even that.” Hermione said with a smile, as Neville turned bright red. “Took him all of a second.”

**Without even thinking about it, Neville’s face broke into a smile. “Gillyweed.**

“I’ve never even heard of it.” Arabella admitted.

Mandy opened her mouth to say that Peter probably would have, but closed it again hastily.

**It’s native to the Mediterranean and basically turns you into a human fish for about an hour.”**

“Cool!” James and Sirius said together.

“It was pretty cool.” Harry agreed. “I just didn’t really have time to appreciate it.”

**“An hour’s all I need.” Harry said with a grin. “Thanks, Nev – any idea where I can get some?”**

**Neville thought for a second. “I think Professor Sprout just got a batch in …**

“She had.” Harry confirmed. “Hermione borrowed some for me, since Sprout couldn’t technically help us.”

**… you could ask her. If not, the apothecary in Hogsmeade does owl orders.”  
“Neville, you’re a lifesaver.” Hermione said frankly, closing her book. “I would never have thought of that in a million years.”**

Neville’s blush deepened.

**Neville blushed. “I probably wouldn’t have done, but Professor Moody lent me that book, remember? _Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean._ ”**

“That’s convenient.” David remarked, his brow furrowed. “Why did he do that?”

“It says here.” _Sirius_ told him, before Neville could answer.

**Hermione did remember – Moody had given it to Neville with the explanation that Sprout had mentioned how good he was, after their lesson on the Unforgivables, which had shaken Neville more than everyone else.**

“That was nice of him.” Alice beamed.

Harry and Hermione flinched, but no one noticed.

**Now it was Harry’s turn to yawn. “Time to turn in, I think.”**

**Hermione glanced at the clock and pulled a face. “Past time, I think.”**

“What time was it?” Lily fretted.

“Gone midnight.” Ginny answered, pulling a face. “It’s a miracle I made Potions the next morning.”

“Not a miracle.” Harry corrected. “Fear. Snape would have killed you.”

“True.” Ginny conceded.

**“Goodnight everyone.” Ginny called, jogging up the stairs.**

**“Night, Gin.” Harry returned, stretching. “Right, Ron, we’d better …”**

**“He’s already left.” Hermione told him with a smirk. “So’s Neville.”**

“Sorry.” Neville smiled sheepishly. “I was tired.” **  
“Right.” Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly …**

“Looking exactly like your dad, I might add.” Hermione said with a smile.

**… looking around the empty room. “Listen, Hermione …” He hesitated. “Thanks again. You know, for earlier.”  
“Harry, I’m your best friend.” Hermione reminded him. “You don’t have to thank me for it.”**

**“I know.” As they stood from the sofa, Harry pulled her into a hug, startling her slightly – Harry never initiated hugs.**

“He does now.” Hermione smiled, as Harry wrapped his arms around her.

**It had taken her until the end of second year to get him to just hug her back without flinching.**

“I wasn’t really used to them.” Harry sighed, staring at the floor. “Not unless they were from Jess.”

“Neither were we, really.” Jen admitted, glancing at her brother. “It took this lot until the end of first.”

**“You’re the best friend anyone could ask for, Mione.” He whispered. “Don’t ever change.”**

“I mean that.” He murmured in her ear. **  
“I don’t intend to.” Hermione whispered back.**

“Likewise.” She returned softly.

**There was that emotion again, too under control to be identified …**

Hermione tilted her head back to meet Harry’s eyes and they shared a knowing smile.

 **… and she decided not to even try, tightening her hold momentarily before releasing him. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”**  
Harry grinned. “I would never want to. Goodnight, Hermione.”  
“Goodnight, Harry.” Hermione murmured, as he gathered his things together and disappeared up the stairs. She had no idea what was going on with her best friend at the moment, and she wasn’t altogether sure she wanted to know.

**Sighing heavily, she made her way up to the girls’ dorm, completely missing, or perhaps just choosing to ignore, the knowing expression on Lily Potter’s face.**

“Mother’s intuition.” Lily said smugly, watching the two Gryffindors with a beaming smile on her face.

“In any case,” _Sirius_ said, trying to hide his own smile, “that is the end of the chapter. Shadow?”


	23. Chapter Twenty One - Don't Be a Hero

_Addie_ accepted the book gracefully and turned to the next chapter.

**Chapter Twenty One**

**Don’t Be a Hero**

“Second task?” She guessed.

Hermione looked thoughtful. “Possibly …” she said slowly. “May I?”

 _Addie_ handed her the book and she flicked to the end of the chapter to read the last sentence. “No, I think the task itself will be in the next chapter.” Hermione said. “So if we have dinner after this one.”

 _Addie_ nodded and took the book back.

**Over the next week, Hermione tried not to think about whether Sirius was in Hogsmeade or not – the worry associated with it was just too strong, and it left her lying awake at night, imagining all sorts of terrible things happening.**

_Sirius_ flinched. “Sorry, Kitten.”

**On Saturday morning …**

“No …” Hermione sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid this chapter won’t be easy to listen to.”

“Why not?” Lily asked.

“It’s not dangerous.” Hermione assured her. “But … Well, you’re about to tell me about my mum, which means a long discussion about Annabelle and … and that Halloween.”

The six sixth year girls exchanged grim looks, their faces falling. The wound of losing Annabelle was still fresh and they had yet to recover completely.

James, Sirius and Remus pulled their girls closer, and Neville – sensing that whatever they were talking about was upsetting for his mother – wrapped an arm around Alice’s shoulders.

Fred gestured to Draco, and they moved away from Ginny and Narcissa, to sit beside Arabella and Mandy, to offer them some comfort if they needed it.

**… Hermione gave up even trying to concentrate on her homework, and left the others to fend for themselves for once.**

“No need to be so dramatic.” Harry pouted. “We can handle things.”

**Ron and Harry insisted they didn’t need her help, and since her head felt like the Marauders had moved in and were throwing a party …**

Lily winced. “Ouch.”

“Hey, you like our parties!” James protested.

“Not in my head.” Lily disagreed.

**… (once again, the analogy made her pause for thought) …**

Hermione sighed. The Memory Charm had really thrown her.

**… she headed for the quiet solidarity of the Room of Requirement, where she lay on a sofa with an icepack on her head, amusing herself by making the room provide different things.**

“That’s quite good fun.” Addie conceded, having spent a good three hours doing just that before.

**The surprise came at mid-morning, when she was absently considering going down to the kitchens to get something to eat, and a steaming bowl of soup appeared beside her, with a spoon and bread roll.**

“Wait a second …” David said slowly. “Didn’t that note from before say that the Room didn’t provide food?”

“It doesn’t.” Lily said in confusion. “Food is one of the exceptions to Gamp’s Laws of Elemental Transfiguration. It shouldn’t be possible.”

“I’ve never managed to make food appear.” _Sirius_ agreed.

“I have.” Hermione said quietly. “It always appears for me.”

“What do you do that they don’t do?” Harry asked. A note appeared on the table and he picked it up. “Apparently, it’s not a question of ‘doing’; it’s a question of ‘having’.”

“Alright, what does Hermione have that they don’t?” Ginny asked.

David looked thoughtful. “I might have an idea.” He said slowly. “But I won’t say anything in case I’m wrong.”

**She and Lily stared at it for a few seconds, before Hermione shrugged and tucked in. “How did that happen?” She asked. “I know we’re in the Room of Requirement, but I thought food was one of the exceptions to Gamp’s Laws of Elemental Transfiguration.”**

“Here we go again.” James grinned.

**“It is.” Lily said slowly. “We never managed to get food to appear – Merlin knows James and Sirius tried enough times. They could eat twice their body weight and still have room for more.”**

“That sounds familiar.” Ginny laughed.

**Hermione chuckled. “Sounds like Ron and Harry … Well, most of the time.”**

**They shared a sad smile – with just four days to go until the Second Task, Harry had stopped eating again.**

“Oh, Harry, you need to eat, sweetheart.” Lily fussed.

Harry chuckled. “I know, Mum.”

**Hermione spent most of her meals trying to convince him, in between bites, to eat just a little bit.**

Lily gave her a smile. “Thank you.”

**Thankfully, Professor Sprout had indeed had some Gillyweed in the greenhouses and, after giving them a long lecture about how she was unable to help Harry or Cedric, due to the rules of the Tournament, she gave Hermione a smile and a wink, and ‘accidentally’ left the door open.**

James chuckled. “That’s one way of doing it.”

**Hermione had been friends with Harry for long enough to be able to read between the lines – _she_ couldn’t help Harry, but there was nothing in the rules that said that Hermione couldn’t, or that Hermione couldn’t borrow some Gillyweed for an ‘experiment’.**

“What was your experiment?” Alice asked curiously. “I mean, if you needed an excuse?”

“Neville?” Hermione prompted.

“Well, there’s some debate between Herbologists in the States over the effectiveness of Gillyweed in salt water as opposed to fresh water.” Neville explained. “Some say that the amount of time it lasts for is different in fresh water.”

“It is.” Harry remarked. “I was under longer than an hour, but it didn’t wear off until just before I reached the surface, and yes, Mum, I was fine.” He added, pre-empting her worry.

**Trying to keep her mind off the Second Task, Hermione decided to finally ask Lily something that had been bothering her for months. “Lily … I’ve been having some … strange thoughts.”**

Hermione laughed. “Sorry, Lily, I didn’t realise how strange that sounded.”

**“Alright,” Lily perched on the sofa next to her. “Boy thoughts?”**

“Good guess,” Jen smiled, “but no.”

**“No.” Hermione frowned thoughtfully, thinking hard about how to word it. “I mean … thoughts that almost don’t belong to me, except they do.”**

Fred raised an eyebrow. “Well done, Hermione, really be explicit in these situations.”

Hermione did the mature thing, and stuck her tongue out at him.

**She sighed. “It’s hard to explain. I keep thinking things about the Marauders – like this morning, I told Harry that my head felt like they’d moved in and were throwing a party … but why would I think that? I don’t know what the Marauders’ parties were like!**

“Well, you were never at one.” _Sirius_ conceded. “But you definitely would have heard Lily complaining about the aftermath. And Jen for that matter.”

“I never complain about the aftermath!” Jen protested.

“You do when you have to clean it up.” _Sirius_ smirked.

**I mean, I can assume they’re as bad – if not worse – than Fred and George’s, but it wasn’t like an assumption, it was like I _know_ …”  
“Hermione,” Lily called softly. “Calm down, dear. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.”**

“Here we go.” Hermione whispered.

**“There is?” Hermione asked, her mind racing.**

**Lily nodded, her face downcast. “What do you hear around the Dementors?”**

The room went still, as though the laughter had been sucked from it.

“You said you couldn’t really hear anything.” Jen whispered.

Hermione didn’t respond, guessing that the book would explain.

**The question pulled Hermione up short, because she didn’t actually know the answer. She had come into contact with the Dementors three times last year.**

“Three times too many.” _Sirius_ muttered, reaching out to grasp Hermione’s hand.

**The first two times, on the train and at the Quidditch match, the fog of despair had been accompanied by a child screaming, flickering in and out of focus like a badly-tuned radio. But Harry’s reaction had been an effective distraction and kept her from focussing on her own bad memories.**

“Like an obsession.” Narcissa whispered, remembering _Sirius_ ’s explanation in the last book.

**The last time, on the bank of the lake, it was different. The sheer number had overpowered her and she had passed out before she could really focus on what she was hearing.**

“Except you’re a natural Occlumens.” Addie said softly. “We have almost perfect control over our long-term memories.”

**But maybe, if she used the meditation techniques she used to control her Occlumency … just maybe she might be able to remember.**

“I’m sorry.” Lily whispered. “I am so, so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” Hermione said, her voice hoarse. “I needed that … I needed to know. I’d rather realise in that room, with you, than … later.”

**Hermione closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax and her mind to go blank. Almost immediately, she transported back to a warm night in June, but it didn’t feel warm – not anymore.**

_Addie_ took a moment to steel herself. She had never experienced Dementors, thank Merlin, but thought of what they could do and what they had done to the man she loved sent shivers of horror rippling through her.

**She could feel the foggy cold creeping into her skin, freezing her from the inside, travelling up her body into her throat until it closed, making her gasp for air.**

_Sirius_ ’s hand tightened on Hermione’s as he fought the urge to pull her into his arms, even as one arm pulled _Addie_ closer.

**She could hear her own feeble voice, whispering the Patronus Charm, trying desperately to produce something, but she had never learnt it, and it was hopeless anyway.**

“Never think like that.” David whispered. “That’s why you can’t produce one.”

**The sofa beneath her seemed to disappear, replaced by the rocky shore of the lake, Sirius’s cold, clammy skin beneath her fingers as she grasped his arm …**

_Addie_ leaned back, resting her head against _Sirius_ ’s chest, hearing and feeling the reassuring _thud, thud, thud_ of his heart beneath his ribs.

**… unable to do anything more than collapse beside him.**

**Then she heard it, a man’s voice …**

James closed his eyes, pulling Lily closer.

**… shouting – not panicked, but shouting, with the air of a man readying himself for a fight. _“Lily, take Harry and go! It’s him! GO! Run! I’ll hold him off!”_**

“Why …?” James began, then cleared his throat. “Why did I just mention Harry? I mean, you were there too.”

Hermione frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t know.” She said slowly. “I’ve never asked. I would think there could be two reasons. One – you were panicking slightly and forgot I was there. Unlikely, but possible. Or two – you knew Voldemort knew you, Lily and Harry were in the house, but he didn’t know about me. You only mentioned Harry, so that if he heard you, it stayed that way and Lily could at least, I don’t know, shove me in a drawer somewhere and hide me. Personally, I like to believe the latter.”

**Then the sounds of duelling filled her mind, distant, but close enough to send fear into her heart, followed by a woman giving one long, terrified scream.**

Lily flinched, curling into James’s arms. “Do you know why?”

Hermione swallowed hard, nestling into Harry’s arms. “The transportation spell gives off the same green light as the Killing Curse and the door wasn’t closed … I guess you thought he was dead.”

Lily paled even more and James kissed her forehead softly.

“Has the Charm broken completely then?” Jen asked. “You wouldn’t know that if you’d just heard it.”

Hermione let out a shaky breath. “Not completely, but … about two weeks ago, I had a … had a nightmare and I … I remembered that night. Vividly.”

**In the next second, the screams had faded into words, slightly disjointed as though parts of the memory were missing, but Hermione didn’t go looking for them, not yet.**

“Why would they be missing?” Mandy asked tentatively. “Wasn’t the whole thing a bad memory?”

Hermione hesitated. “Yes … but from a two-year-old’s perspective, I didn’t understand exactly what was going on. I was more scared, I think, of James and Lily’s reactions … and the part that’s missing was Lily talking to us, telling Harry that she loved him, and so on, which wasn’t scary.”

**She knew what the words would be before she heard them.**

**_“Not Harry! Please not Harry! I’ll do anything!”_ **

**A high, cold voice entered her mind next, an incantation she had hoped to never hear …**

“The Killing Curse.” David whispered. “Aimed at Harry, I assume.”

**… and the fog seemed to shake around her with the force of an explosion.**

James cursed. “An explosion?”

“I told you the nursery was destroyed.” _Sirius_ reminded him shakily.

**And then she heard that child screaming, and with a shock she realised it was _her_ , and tears were pouring down her face as she wrenched herself out of the memory, curling up into a ball and shaking with the force of her sobs.**

“Sod it.” _Sirius_ muttered. “Sorry, Harry, I’m borrowing her for a bit.” He reached over and pulled Hermione out of Harry’s arms and into his. She didn’t resist, burying her face in his robes, as _Addie_ stroked her hair gently.

Harry didn’t argue, sliding along the sofa into Lily and James’s arms, where they held him tightly.

**A fireplace appeared in the opposite wall and came to life, the flames flickering comfortingly, as a mug of hot chocolate suddenly popped up in front of her.**

David sat forward, listening keenly. From what he had gathered, the Room of Requirement needed specific instructions, and yet Hermione had never issued any. It seemed to respond to her automatically, and he thought he knew why. He just needed a few questions answered to prove it.

**Hermione picked it up with shaky hands and sipped at it, allowing the smooth, creamy liquid to slip down her throat, soothing her.**

“Chocolate wins again.” Remus commented, trying to inject some humour back into the situation.

**A glance at Lily told her that she was crying too, though not as much. “I was there.” Hermione whispered.**

**Lily nodded wordlessly, wiping her face.**

**“Why?” Hermione asked. “We live in Crawley now, but we used to live in Yorkshire. I thought Godric’s Hollow was in Wales.**

“It is.” James said softly.

**How would you even know my parents?”**

**“Your mother,” Lily corrected, “was married before your father, did you know that?”**

**“Yes.” Hermione answered …**

“Mum had at least told me that much.” Hermione said, turning her head slightly so she could be heard.

**… pulling a tissue from her pocket. “He was out shopping when there was a robbery and …” She stopped, staring at her. “He was killed by Death Eaters, wasn’t he? But … Mum wouldn’t have known … She’d have been Oblivated, wouldn’t she? So you wouldn’t have …”**

**“Hermione,” Lily interrupted softly, “your mum’s a witch.”**

“Mind blown.” Fred said cheerfully.

“Fred!” Ginny scolded. “Have some compassion, for Merlin’s sake!”

**Hermione stared at her for a second. She must have misheard; there was no way Lily had just said that.**

**But she did.**

“I couldn’t understand it.” Hermione sighed.

**Her mother – Jane Granger, dentist, who never quite understood what Hermione was going through – was a witch.**

**Everything she had ever known about herself was a lie.**

“Not everything.” _Addie_ corrected, looking up. “You haven’t changed. You’re still an exceptionally bright young lady, with very good friends. You’re still _you_.”

**“I’m not Muggle-born.” Hermione whispered.**

Addie snorted. “Oh, please, blood matters about as much as eye colour does.”

“Bad example.” Sirius told her. “I happen to love your eyes.”

Addie blushed slightly. “That’s not the point.”

**“Hermione, you know as well as I do that doesn’t mean a thing.” Lily said. “Your blood hasn’t _changed_ ; you just know that you’re a half-blood now.”**

**“How did you know her?” Hermione asked, beginning to adjust to the idea. Her first thought was that maybe her mother had been at school with Lily …**

“I’m not that old!” Lily protested.

“Mother’s not that young.” Hermione corrected.

**… but that didn’t make sense – there wasn’t enough time between Lily’s graduation and her own birth for Jane to have married twice.**

**“Your half-sister was one of my dorm-mates.” Lily answered.**

“I swear, it was like I was getting smacked repeatedly over the head.” Hermione sighed.

“Sorry.” Lily said softly. “I’m not breaking it to you very gently.”

**“I have a half-sister?” Hermione asked croakily.**

**“Two.” Lily corrected, before sighing. “Let me start from the beginning. Jane’s a pureblood, who married from the Thompson family into the Princeton family.**

“Ah.” David said, satisfied. “I think I may know why the Room of Requirement reacts so readily to you, Hermione.”

“You do?” Hermione asked, lifting her head. “Why is it? And how do you know?”

“The Thompson family, I believe, are direct descendants of Stewart and Maura Thompson.” David explained.

“What does that have to do with anything, Dad?” James asked.

“Because Maura Thompson was born Maura Ravenclaw.” David answered with a grin. “She was the younger daughter; her older sister, Helena, died without children.”

“Annie’s younger sister was called Helena.” Arabella whispered. “It must be a family name.”

“Wait.” Hermione closed her eyes. “Are you telling me that I’m the Heir of the Ravenclaw family?”

“Technically, you’re the Head of the family.” David told her. “Unless your mother claimed, which I doubt. That also explains how you’re able to control this room from the future.”

Hermione stared at him for a second, before letting her head drop back onto _Sirius_ ’s shoulder. “Can I deal with that later? My head hurts.”

 _Addie_ chuckled, and continued.

**She had two daughters, Annabelle, who was in my year, and Helena, who was about twelve years younger.”**

**“That’s quite an age gap.” Hermione commented, deciding that the best way to handle this information was to pretend that Lily was talking about complete strangers.**

“In a way, she was.” Hermione whispered.

**Lily nodded in agreement. “I never found out why either. You remind me of Annie sometimes – you’ve got the same passion about things you believe in …**

“You do.” _Sirius_ agreed.

**… but you look nothing like her. Annie got her looks from her dad, and we hated her for it when the flu season came by. She always managed to look stunning …”**

Lily winced. “I don’t think I was implying that you’re not pretty, Hermione. But you definitely look more like your mother.”

“I know.” Hermione smiled weakly. “I didn’t take it like that.” **  
**

**“What happened to her?” Hermione asked bluntly, sensing that Lily was avoiding the subject.**

**Lily heaved a heavy sigh. “She went home for Christmas in fifth year. As soon as she came back, we knew something was wrong. She was quiet, she was withdrawn, she was avoiding us … she was disappearing when Remus did …”**

“Oh dear …” David murmured.

**Hermione sucked in a breath, not needing Lily to finish her sentence. “She’d been bitten, hadn’t she?”**

**Lily nodded tearfully. “We never found out what happened. She didn’t transform in the Shack, and she never told us where she did …**

“There was another hut deep in the Forest.” Remus said heavily. “The passageway under the Willow had a hidden door. She made me promise never to show you. Sometimes, I wish I’d ignored her.”

“It wouldn’t have helped.” Jen said tearfully.

**… we never saw her on the full moons, even though we tried and tried to convince her otherwise. Over the summer, she seemed to shrink down to the size of a rake – she was pale and tired all the time, scrapes and scars all the way up and down her arms.” She took a shuddering breath. “And then in early October, her dad took Helena for a walk in a Muggle neighbourhood – we all thought Jane was with them – there was an attack … They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”**

No one spoke. _Addie_ ’s voice was shaking as she read, and Hermione reached out to take her hand.

**“Oh no …” Hermione whispered, doing the maths. If Helena was twelve years younger than Annabelle, she would have only been four-years-old.**

“Nearly five.” Mandy whispered shakily.

**“When Annabelle got the news, she screamed and passed out right there in the Great Hall.” Lily sniffed. “She … She never woke up.”**

_Addie_ ’s voice broke, and a tear slid down her cheek. _Sirius_ pulled her closer with the arm that wasn’t holding Hermione, and she settled against him.

**Somehow, the news that both of her half-sisters were dead wasn’t as shocking as it should have been. “What … What did she die of?”**

**“Officially, it was complications arising from her lycanthropy – she never really recovered from the bite.” Lily answered thickly. “But … honestly, Hermione, I don’t think she _wanted_ to live anymore.”**

“She didn’t.” Remus said hoarsely. “She … She hadn’t for ages. I could see it in her eyes.”

“We all could.” Jen bit back a sob and buried her face in his chest.

**Hermione sniffed, unable to help the tear that rolled down her cheek. When she was younger, she had wished for a sister, someone who would be her friend, unlike the children at school. Eventually, she realised that having a sister would mean someone else enduring her father’s anger, something she would not wish upon anyone.**

_Sirius_ kissed her forehead.

**Now she found out she had two, but they had died long before she had a chance to meet them.**

**It wasn’t fair.**

**“And my mother?” She asked calmly.**

“Didn’t feel calm.” Hermione whispered.

**“Like I said, we thought Jane was dead, until about a month before my wedding.” Lily smiled slightly. “We were in Muggle London …**

“We?” Lily questioned, glad for a reason to change the subject.

“You, obviously.” _Sirius_ smirked. “Jen, Arabella, Mandy … I think Alice was there as well … Your mum may have been there too … Actually, she probably was.”

**… it was my final dress fitting, so we had lunch as well. It was a complete coincidence that we ran into her, but we were shocked – she was pretty far along by then.”**

“That would have been a shock.” Jen remarked. “We thought she was dead, and then found her married and pregnant.”

**Hermione attempted a smile. “And?”**

**“I invited her and her new husband to the wedding.” A frown replaced Lily’s smile. “It was Sirius who realised something was wrong.**

“Didn’t take a genius.” _Sirius_ sighed. “The way she acted around him …”

**Jane was a Healer; she dealt with … something when he was twelve …**

“That’s one way to describe being cursed out of the house.” Jen muttered.

**… and he’d been quite shaken by her death. From what I’d gathered, he took her aside and told her that if she needed anything, his door was always open.”**

_Addie_ paused, giving _Sirius_ a radiant smile.

**Hermione’s heart began thudding in her chest, anticipation filling her, although she wasn’t entirely sure why.**

“I think I already knew.” Hermione whispered.

**“A week after you were born, your father hit her.” Lily scowled. “I don’t know whether it was the first time or not, but she dropped you off with Sirius while she went to her parents. They were quite traditional purebloods, if not supremacists – they would never risk the shame of a divorce by dissolving the marriage over domestic violence.”**

**“But if they knew I was there …” Hermione trailed off, anger filling her. “Why didn’t she take me?! He was hurting her! He’s hurt _me_!”**

_Sirius_ buried his face in her hair, whispering repeated apologies.

**“I know.” Lily whispered. “I asked myself that every time, Hermione. My only answer is that she loved him too much to leave him.”**

“She always said that.” _Sirius_ said quietly, looking up. “She said that she never thought she’d fall in love again, and then …” He shook his head. “I never understood it.”

**“Every time?” Hermione repeated sharply. “Exactly how often did she leave me with Sirius?”**

**“At least twice a week.” Lily said with a sad smile. “He doted on you, you know. Hell, we all did until Harry came along, no offence. But Sirius … you’d swear he was your father instead of that …” she pulled a face “… man.”**

“That’s because he is.” Hermione said firmly. **  
**

**Hermione didn’t respond, thinking deeply. All those times, late at night, where she thought she might remember a ‘dad’ instead of a ‘father’ suddenly made sense.**

**She closed her eyes and dived back into her memories …**

Hermione stiffened, remembering a certain conversation she had overheard. “Erm … you might be about to hear a revelation that will upset everyone.” She said carefully. “I never said anything because Lily asked me not to.”

**… trying to see how far back she could remember.**

**Images and pictures sped past her closed eyelids, until she was left with the mere soundtrack of her life, still slightly foggy.**

“Memory Charm?” Jen asked.

Hermione nodded.

**It confused her, but she refused to let herself get side-tracked – at least not yet – and pushed until she could push no more.**

**Lily’s voice filled her mind. _“James … I don’t feel comfortable with this.”_**

**_“Alright. Well, do you want to check the wards while I put the kids to bed?”_ **

There were a few half-hearted chuckles.

**_“No! I meant the whole ‘Secret Keeper’ thing.”_ **

**_“Lily, I trust Peter …”_ **

James flinched, and Lily pressed a kiss to his cheek. It wasn’t his fault, but he couldn’t help being bitter about unwittingly putting his family in danger.

**_“I do too, James. Don’t think I don’t. But … he wasn’t exactly acting like himself when we cast the charm, was he?_ **

“Define ‘not acting like himself’.” David said slowly.

“He definitely wasn’t an imposter.” _Sirius_ told him. “We checked. There’s no way anyone else would have known the security response. Plus we had him transform into Wormtail. He wasn’t under the Imperius, either.”

“But …?” James prompted.

 _Sirius_ frowned. “But that’s it. I don’t remember what happened next.”

“You seem to be suffering from rather a lot of memory loss about the events of that month.” _Addie_ remarked lightly, but with an underlying suspicious tone.

**_Plus … he said something to me just before Dumbledore arrived … he said, “Dumbledore’s explained the dangers, right?” I assumed he meant the dangers of switching Secret Keeper – you know it can carry a risk if it’s not done right, it could have left us unprotected for a whole 24 hours – but what if that wasn’t what he meant, what if something …?”_ **

“What if he meant the dangers of switching to a Death Eater?” Lily finished thoughtfully. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would he want us to be aware of the dangers of him being a Death Eater?”

“I don’t know.” Hermione sighed. “I’ve been asking myself that for the last few days.”

**_“Lily … Would you just calm down, alright? Dumbledore would have told us if it was anything else, and Peter was probably a bit nervous.”_ **

**_“I just felt so much better when Sirius was the Secret Keeper. I know it was dangerous, but …”_ **

**_“Well, I think the switch is a good idea, but if it makes you feel better, sweetheart, we’ll talk to Albus about switching back first thing tomorrow morning. Alright?”_ **

“Good Merlin, we were so close.” James groaned.

“Actually, I think you’re focussing on the wrong thing here, James.” Addie said, her voice cold. “Was it just me, or did it sound like Dumbledore KNEW that Sirius wasn’t their Secret Keeper?”

Hermione seemed to shrink into _Sirius_ ’s arms, and he closed his eyes, realising why that night seemed to be missing from his memories.

**Hermione paused the memory, relishing in the control she had over her own mind. So Lily had doubts about Peter. And, more importantly, it sounded as though Dumbledore had known about the switch.**

**But then, if that were true, why would he tell the Ministry that _Sirius_ was the Secret Keeper?**

“It doesn’t make any sense.” Lily whispered, clinging to Harry.

“Actually, it does.” Jen said grimly. “We know from the first book that Dumbledore’s manipulating Harry and, because of his upbringing, that’s very easy to do. Not as easy as Dumbledore would like, I’m sure, since Jessica seems to have done a wonderful job, but …”

“If he’d grown up with me, it would have been even harder.” Sirius finished.

Placing the book in her lap, _Addie_ touched _Sirius_ ’s face gently to get him to look at her. Gaining a nod, she entered his mind silently, searching for his memories. Finding what she was looking for, she sighed, breaking eye contact. “Well, there’s definitely a Memory Charm and it stinks of Dumbledore. I could probably remove it, but I wouldn’t want to take the risk at the moment.”

“Do you know when?” _Sirius_ asked.

 _Addie_ took another look. “I’d say … after you were arrested, but before you were sent to Azkaban. I can’t get any more specific, though.”

“No, that’s about as specific as it gets.” _Sirius_ sighed. “There wasn’t much of a gap.”

“It was big enough for a corrupt trial.” David muttered, scowling.

 _Sirius_ didn’t respond, and _Addie_ found her place again.

**In any case, it seemed that her memories before that Halloween were, as yet, unreachable, so she sighed inwardly and began to fast-forward again, trying to work out where the fog came from.**

**It can’t have been simply time, because there was no gradual change – images one minute, just sound the next.**

Regulus nodded. “Sounds like a Memory Charm.”

**The explosion from before caught her attention and she stopped, morbidly curious about what happened next. She assumed that what she’d heard was the Killing Curse backfiring …**

“It was.” Hermione confirmed.

**… and wondered how the blast hadn’t just killed both of them.**

Lily gasped, and Hermione hastened to reassure her. “The crib overturned. It created a sort of cage around them and saved them from the ceiling caving in.”

**Her own cries echoed around her head, echoing in the silence of the memory. She wondered how none of the neighbours had heard an explosion that loud, but maybe it was part of the wards around the house.**

_Sirius_ nodded, but didn’t say anything.

**Then, she heard a noise under her wails, a deep rumbling sound, like an engine.**

_Addie_ looked up with a smile. “Bessie?”

“Bessie?” Several people repeated.

“The other woman in his life.” _Addie_ said with a mock sigh. “He introduced us over Christmas of seventh year and I just had to get used to it.”

 _Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “My bike.” He elaborated.

“Hey, I’m just talking about her the way you did.” _Addie_ argued, now full-out grinning. “When I said ‘it’s a bike’, you looked like I’d just committed one of the seven deadly sins.”

“Blasphemy isn’t a deadly sin.” _Sirius_ told her, smirking.

“You named your bike ‘Bessie’?” Jen asked incredulously.

 _Sirius_ shrugged. “What else do you name a bike?”

Jen paused. “That’s … That’s a good question. Never mind.”

“Why go by bike?” Lily asked.

“She was the fastest way to get there.” _Sirius_ explained. “The apparition wards were about an hour away, you couldn’t floo into your house, and I’ve never been very good at making Portkeys. Bessie was my best bet.”

**It cut off abruptly, and then there were footsteps downstairs.**

**Her cries became quieter, though no less intense, until a familiar voice floated up the stairs, desperation lacing his tone.**

“I’d just found James’s wand.” _Sirius_ said quietly. “I was hoping that he’d seen off the threat, dropped his wand, and run up to comfort Lily, but …”

**_“James! It’s Padfoot – answer me, mate!”_ **

**_“DADDY!”_ **

“I swear that was the most wonderful and terrifying word in the world.” _Sirius_ remarked, kissing Hermione’s head. “On the one hand, I knew she was alive, but on the other … I’ve never heard that much fear in a child’s voice, nor would I want to.”

Hermione frowned. “Sirius … when I talked to you about this, you didn’t know I was there …”

“It came back to me.” _Sirius_ admitted. “Not long after it did you. But after we left the house is still a blank.”

“Something broke through the Memory Charm.” _Addie_ remarked. “I wonder what.”

Ginny looked thoughtful. “You called him Daddy.”

Hermione glanced at her. “What?”

“After the nightmare,” Ginny elaborated, “when he was trying to calm you down. You called him Daddy – would that have broken through?”

“It may have done.” _Addie_ conceded.

**Hermione gasped at her own terrified, blood-curdling scream and, too shocked even to pull herself out of her mind, listened as footsteps hurtled up a staircase, and the ice-cold fog changed to a warm, almost familiar cloud that enveloped her.**

**_“It’s alright, baby-girl. It’s okay, Kitten. Daddy’s here, it’s alright.”_ **

_Addie_ smiled softly to herself. Before the attack on her family, she had begun to allow herself to daydream about the future. She always knew that he would be a fantastic father.

**Finally pulling herself together, Hermione forced herself to fast-forward one more time. She already had an inkling about what had happened, and it somehow came as no surprise to her when she heard her mother’s voice.**

**_“I’m sorry, darling. Obliviate!”_ **

“That was probably the last magic she did.” Hermione muttered.

**Hermione opened her eyes again, staring at the wall of the Room of Requirement. “I used to call him Daddy.”**

**“You did.” Lily confirmed, her eyes worried. “Never in front of your mother though. You called him Padfoot then.”**

“Smart girl.” David commented.

“We already knew that, Dad.” James pointed out.

“Not when she was a baby.” David corrected.

**“And you?” Hermione asked.**

**Lily smiled slightly. “I was Aunt Lily.”**

“Me?” James asked.

“Prongs.” Hermione and _Sirius_ answered in unison.

“Actually,” _Sirius_ added, “you were Pongs – she couldn’t pronounce her ‘r’s yet.”

**Hermione nodded once, trying to organise her thoughts. “Alright, Aunt Lily, I have some questions.”**

“Do you call me that now?” Lily asked curiously.

“Occasionally.” Hermione said slowly. “It depends on the situation.”

**“I might have some answers.” Lily said teasingly. “Go ahead.”**

**“My mother wiped my memory.” Hermione said. “But I could still vaguely remember … a dad … if I thought very hard …”**

**“A memory charm doesn’t affect the subconscious memory.” Lily explained. “Since very few people can access or, indeed, listen to the subconscious memory, it’s never been a problem.”**

“Out of interest,” Lily commented, “I know I was training to be a Healer, but did I ever try to get a Charms Mastery?”

“You may have tried.” _Sirius_ conceded. “Unfortunately, you wouldn’t have got very far.”

Lily sighed. “It’s the Muggle-born thing again, isn’t it?”

“Isn’t it always?” _Sirius_ responded tiredly.

**“That’s what the Dementors reached last June.” Hermione murmured, running a hand through her hair. “That’s why the sound flickered. But I can remember now.” She said aloud. “Why?”**

“All memory charms have a trigger.” Lily said absently.

**Lily looked thoughtful. “Something must have happened over the summer.” She said finally. “All Memory Charms have a trigger to unlock them.**

“Lily, stop repeating yourself.” Mandy teased.

**Sirius’s visit maybe?”**

**“No, if he was the trigger, it would have unlocked in June.” Hermione said slowly, trying to remember when these flashes of thought first started.**

**_It was the day the Weasleys came to pick me up … I’d just finished packing … I found …_ **

**“Sirius’s badge.” She finished aloud. “I found his auror badge.”**

“Bingo.” Ginny said cheerfully.

**Lily looked started for a second, then smiled. “He took you home.” She guessed. “Your father was on a business trip for the next week, so Sirius took you home while he went after Peter.”**

“Wait a second,” Addie frowned. “If he was on a business trip, why was Hermione with you in the first place?”

“He left after Jane dropped Hermione off with me.” _Sirius_ explained. “When Jane came to pick Hermione up, I told her that she was with James and Lily and it would take forever to contact them because of the wards.”

“Was I?” Hermione asked.

“No, you were taking a nap. But I needed to talk to her about the adoption, and I knew she’d wake you up.” _Sirius_ answered. “Ideally, I wanted to talk to her while you weren’t there, so she didn’t do anything drastic.”

“Like what?” _Addie_ asked. “You were technically kidnapping her daughter.”

“I wasn’t letting her take Hermione back to that man over and over again.” _Sirius_ said flatly. “Especially when he started hurting her.”

“I didn’t say I disagreed with you.” _Addie_ said. “I was playing devil’s advocate.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I would have done it too, if I’d been there.”

**“That must have been the trigger.” Hermione whispered. “And the Memory Charm explains why my empathy took so long to make itself known – without conscious knowledge of magic, I did less accidental magic, which mean that my body needed the time to readjust.”**

“Well, that’s all of my questions answered.” Harry said lightly. “I was wondering why you weren’t an empath until fourth year.”

“I was always an empath.” Hermione told him. “I just couldn’t reach it.”

**“Not just your body.” Lily corrected. “Your magical core would have needed it as well.”**

**Hermione nodded slowly. “And Dumbledore? It sounded like he knew about the switch … I heard you talking to James …”**

**“He knew.” Lily said coolly. “He cast the charm.**

David cursed under his breath.

**I don’t know what he’s playing at, Hermione, but can I ask that you keep this to yourself for the time being? Whatever game Dumbledore’s playing, I don’t want Harry – or Sirius – involved until they know all the rules …**

“Good move.” David approved.

**… or until Remus is there to keep them from fouling.**

“I’m slightly hurt,” _Sirius_ said, “that you feel I need Remus to stop me from doing anything stupid.”

“I’m slightly worried,” Remus said dryly, “that you feel I _can_ stop him from doing anything stupid.”

**Please?”**

**Hermione sighed, nodding reluctantly. It seemed unfair, but she also knew it made sense.**

“It does.” _Sirius_ whispered to her. “It’s fine.”

**“Alright, I won’t say anything.”**

**“Thank you.” Lily looked at her with tears in her eyes. “I really am sorry you got mixed up in that, Hermione …**

“It wasn’t your fault.” Hermione sighed. “How could it be your fault?”

**… but Sirius got called into work and he couldn’t just leave you alone. If I’d known …”**

**“If you’d known, you and Harry wouldn’t have been there either.”**

“An excellent point.” James nodded.

**Hermione reminded her kindly. “It’s not your fault.” She was silent for a few seconds, thinking. If her father was on a business trip, why was she with Sirius? Why wouldn’t he just drop her home?**

**“Lily …”**

**But before she could finish …**

“I doubt I would have told you.” Lily said. “It’s hardly my secret to tell.”

**… James materialised in front of them with a knowing smirk on his face.**

“Uh oh.” Lily sighed, finally releasing Harry from her grip. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Harry said, glancing over at _Sirius_. “Can I have her back now?”

“I’m not a toy to be passed around at your convenience.” Hermione said crossly, sliding back along the sofa regardless.

**“Guess what I found!”**

**“Your dignity?” Lily guessed with a sweet smile. “Your maturity? Your self-respect?**

“Ouch, Lils!” James chuckled.

**_My_ ** **self-respect?”**

“I wondered where that had gone.” Lily commented.

**James sighed, looking put-out. “Alright, guess _who_ I found then.”**

_Addie_ sighed and looked at _Sirius_. “If you get yourself caught, I swear to Merlin …”

“Relax.” _Sirius_ told her with a disarming smile. “I’m fine, aren’t I?”

**Hermione groaned, her worries coming back full-force. “He’s in Hogsmeade, isn’t he?”**

**Lily gasped. “Sirius? Of all the … I mean, I’m glad he’s … But what if …?” She sighed, and sat down, pinching the bridge of her nose.**

“I feel a headache coming.” Lily sighed.

**“Hermione, can you go and make sure he’s alright? Please?”**

**Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Let me get this straight. You’re encouraging me to sneak out?”**

“Yes.” The Gryffindors said together.

**Lily smiled at her. “Oh, Hermione … I was a Marauder, remember?”**

“Was?” Sirius asked, almost mockingly. “My dear Lily, one does not simply stop being a Marauder.”

**Hermione chuckled. “Alright, where is he?”**

**“I’ll show you.” James offered. “But don’t tell Harry. As hypocritical as it sounds, I don’t want him sneaking out …**

“Hypocrite.” Sirius coughed.

James looked thoroughly unrepentant. “I don’t have a maniac trying to kill me.”

**… not while we don’t know who put his name in that Goblet or where they are now.”**

**“Neither do I.” Hermione agreed, stretching as she stood up. “Assuming I can get hold of his Invisibility Cloak without him finding out why.”**

Harry frowned. “I don’t remember you borrowing my Cloak.”

Hermione smiled sheepishly. “I did ask.”

**As it turned out, Harry was so busy with his Potions essay …**

“Oh, that explains it.” Harry sighed. “I tend to tune everything out when I’m doing Potions homework.”

**… that procuring his Cloak was to be frighteningly easy, although giving it back might be a bit awkward, since Hermione wasn’t entirely sure he had heard her ask for it.**

“Was it?” Jen asked.

Hermione shrugged. “I didn’t give it back to _him_ ; I just went and put it in his trunk.”

**After a quick trip to the kitchens, in which she packed as much food into her bag as was magically possible – which was quite a lot …**

_Addie_ gave Hermione a grateful smile.

**… she snuck out through the humped witch on the third floor.**

**Getting into the Honeydukes cellar and out past the counter wasn’t easy …**

“It never is.” James grimaced. “Especially when there’s a few of you.”

**… but she managed to keep the Cloak on, and slipped out of the door with another customer.**

**She followed James in silence as he reminisced about times in Hogsmeade, but her own thoughts were in turmoil.**

Hermione rested her head on Harry’s shoulder, remembering the feeling.

**She hadn’t been expecting to tell Sirius about James and Lily this soon …**

“I wasn’t ready.” Hermione muttered.

**… and after this morning, the situation was even more complicated.**

**James led her right to the end of the road, past Dervish and Banges, to a stile that led to a rocky path up into the mountains.**

_Addie_ breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, at least you’re not actually _in_ the village.”

“I’m not that stupid.” _Sirius_ protested.

**Hermione climbed awkwardly over the stile and began to hike, all the while trying to keep the Cloak from slipping. Finally, she stopped and looked back.**

**The cottages – just losing their snowy rooftops – looked almost like doll’s houses now …**

“I think you’re safe.” Jen said quietly.

**… and she decided she was far enough away to remove the Cloak, fold it carefully, and slip it into her bag.**

**“Is it much further?” She asked quietly.**

**“Not far.” James told her. “There’s a cave just up here.”**

_Addie_ paused. “Is that the cave …?”

 _Sirius_ nodded, not needing her to finish her question. Valentine’s Day in their seventh year had fallen mid-week, so they had celebrated twice; once on the day itself, and once on the following Saturday, losing their friends in Hogsmeade and spending a very enjoyable few hours in the mountains. **  
**

**Wearily, Hermione continued her climb, muttering under her breath about reckless Marauders who took stupid risks.**

“Hypocrite.” Ginny sang. “You’d do the same thing.”

**She was, of course, stubbornly ignoring the fact, that she’d sleep in a cave too if Harry was in danger …**

Hermione blushed as it was confirmed from a second source.

**“Up there.” James told her, pointing to a spot a good fifteen feet above her head.**

“How did you get up there?” Mandy asked.

“With a run-up, Padfoot would be able to manage it.” _Addie_ answered.

**Hermione stopped and tilted her head back, seeing an opening in the rock just big enough to hide a decent-sized cave. “Sirius?” She called softly. “It’s Hermione. I bought food.”**

“And lots of it.” _Sirius_ said with a smile. **  
**

**Footsteps sounded above her and Sirius peered over the edge. “Hermione, what the hell are you doing here?”**

“Manners, Sirius.” _Addie chided_ absently, turning the page.

**“A ‘hello’ would have been nice.” Hermione said dryly. “How am I supposed to get up there?”**

**Sirius smirked at her. “Well, I turn into Padfoot and jump. Hold on, I’ll come down and …”**

**“Don’t bother.” Hermione transformed …**

“Nearly gave me a heart attack.” _Sirius_ muttered.

**… picked the bag up in her mouth, and jumped neatly up to stand beside him. She stretched, rather enjoying the look of stunned shock on his face, before dropping the bag again and turning human once more. “That was probably easier, right?”**

“Just a bit.” Arabella smirked. **  
**

**Sirius gaped at her. “What … How … You …”**

“Well, that made sense.” Addie remarked sarcastically.

**Hermione nodded. “Thanks, Padfoot; that made a lot of sense.”**

Hermione looked at _Addie_ with wide eyes. “Mum? Is that you?”

 _Addie_ chuckled. “However did you guess?”

The two laughed, oblivious to the half-proud, half-whimsical smile on _Sirius_ ’s face.

**She slipped past him, her eyes travelling over the sleeping bag in the corner – _at least he had the sense to transfigure something_ – to Buckbeak at the back of the cave.**

**She made eye-contact and bowed slowly, waiting for him to bow back before patting his feathery neck and stroking his beak. “Hey, Beaky. Are you looking after him for me?”**

“Again, we’re relying on a hippogriff to be the responsible adult.” Jen stated. “Doesn’t this worry anyone?”

“Better than Padfoot being a responsible adult.” James smirked, ducking the pillow that Sirius threw at him.

**Buckbeak squawked in a reassuring sort of way and ruffled his feathers, and Hermione turned to survey Sirius, who was still staring at her in shock. He didn’t look as gaunt as he had done in the summer, but he was still painfully thin.**

_Addie_ ran an eye over him. “Well, you’re not _so_ thin anymore, although you’re still _too_ thin.”

“Mum’s been feeding him up.” Fred said with a smirk. “She might not like him, but she wouldn’t let _anyone_ stay as thin as he was.”

**“Let’s start again, shall we?” She asked, smiling. “Hi Sirius!”**

**Sirius finally cracked a smile and moved forward to hug her. “Hello Hermione. When did you do that?”**

“Oh, you know,” Hermione said casually, “between meeting the Founders and founding a house-elf support group.”

**“It’s a long story.” Hermione murmured into his robes. “And one for another day. I can’t be out here too long, so I need to focus on the important bits.”**

“That’s kind of important.” Jen pointed out.

“Not as important as the ‘so I’m a half-blood’ conversation and the ‘by the way, they’re still alive’ conversation.” Hermione pointed out.

**“That’s not important?” Sirius asked incredulously, releasing her.**

**“Well, it is.” Hermione conceded. “But it’s not _as_ important as the rest. Why didn’t you tell me?”**

**“Tell you what?” Sirius asked slowly.**

**“Oh, I don’t know.” Hermione said, rolling her eyes. “The fact that Mum’s a witch? The fact that I’ve known Harry since he was born? The fact that I used to call you Dad? Any of those would have been a good start.”**

“Hermione,” Alice said softly, “I think that may have been a bit harsh.”

“I know.” Hermione slid back along the sofa, tucking herself under _Sirius_ ’s arm.

**“Hermione,” James chided gently, “I know you’re upset, but watch the tone please.”**

**“I’m not upset.” Hermione disagreed …**

“You sound upset.” Jen observed.

“More hurt.” Hermione whispered, feeling _Sirius_ kiss her forehead. “And confused.”

**… half to James, half to Sirius. “I just want to know why you didn’t want me to know. One father thinking I’m not good enough is enough, thanks.”**

_Sirius_ ’s arm tightened around her. “You are everything I could have ever wished for in a daughter.” He murmured in her ear. “And I am so proud of you.”

**Her voice broke on the last work and she found herself swept into his arms again.**

**“Hermione, that’s not why.” He whispered. “That could never be why. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I just wasn’t sure you’d believe me.**

“Bit of a bizarre thing to make up.” Arabella remarked.

 _Sirius_ shrugged one shoulder. “I wasn’t exactly thinking straight.”

 _Addie_ glanced at him. She had a feeling the Dementors had affected him more than he was letting on.

**And you were far too upset over the summer to throw that in as well.”  
“It would have made me feel better.” Hermione said plaintively, aware that she sounded like a child.**

**Sirius stroked her hair softly. “I’m sorry. You and Harry kept me sane in there.**

“Well, relatively sane.” _Sirius_ conceded.

**I couldn’t stand the thought of you hating me – it was just a little too soon after Harry …”**

**“Why would I hate you?” Hermione interrupted, bewildered. “It’s not your fault you weren’t there. You didn’t ask to be arrested.”**

“It was my fault I went after Peter though.” _Sirius_ sighed.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” _Addie_ said darkly. “It wasn’t just the Fidelius Charm that was missing from your memory. I couldn’t find any indication that you were planning on going after Peter.”

“Then why did I?” _Sirius_ asked.

“I don’t know.” _Addie_ sighed. “Like I said, I don’t want to risk messing with your head right now.” Realisation dawned on her face. “That’s why you couldn’t remember Hermione being there. You would never have left her to go after Peter, not unless something else was making you do it – Dumbledore modified your memory to make you think it was your idea, but he had to remove Hermione from the picture, or you’d question it.”

**But Sirius shook his head, looking pained, and she could practically taste his regret in the air. “Hermione, I promised you wouldn’t have to go back there. And you did.”**

**“Right.” Hermione nodded. “Because you couldn’t take a baby on a rat-hunt.”**

“Obviously.” Mandy said softly.

**Sirius froze, and she didn’t need her infamous brains or her empathy to know that something had startled him – and not in a good way. “What?”**

“My biggest relief was that you weren’t involved that night.” _Sirius_ sighed. “Finding out that I was wrong …”

**“You took me back to Mum after Hagrid took Harry.” Hermione said slowly. “Because you couldn’t take a baby on a rat-hunt. It makes sense.”**

**“Hermione … you weren’t there.” Sirius said, his eyes pleading with her to agree.**

“I was hoping if I said it enough it might start to become true.”

**“I was.” Hermione stated reluctantly. “I could remember. Around the Dementors last summer. I only just really remembered, because Mum put a Memory Charm on me …**

“I still cannot believe she did that.” Arabella muttered.

**… and it’s been breaking since July. But I was there – I’m a natural Occlumens; I know what I’m hearing.”**

**Sirius buried his face in his hands and Hermione propelled him to a rock where they could sit down. She glanced up at James, who was watching them sadly.**

**“Not much you can do,” he told her softly, as Lily appeared beside him. “Just wait it out.”**

_Addie_ bit back a sigh, knowing well what James meant. She had only seen _Sirius_ like that once, although she was sure he had reached that point several times after she vanished.

She hated the fact that the man she loved had to suffer through that pain.

She hated the fact that she wasn’t there. **  
**

**Hermione rested her head on his shoulder, hearing his murmured apologies. “Sirius, I’m fine.” She whispered. “We both are. Yeah, my father’s a dick …**

“I can think of worse words.” Addie snarled. “All more appropriate.”

**… but I made my peace with that a long time ago.”**

Regulus sighed. “You shouldn’t have to.”

**Sirius raised his head, looking anguished. “Hermione, you shouldn’t have to accept that your dad’s a …”**

**“He’s not.” Hermione interrupted, briskly. “My _father_ is.**

_Addie_ smiled, grasping Hermione’s hand with her free one.

**Now would you eat something?”**

**Sirius smiled weakly, hearing her unspoken words, and took the food parcel she handed him. “Thanks, sweetheart; you’re a lifesaver. Have I told you that?”**

**“A few times, yes.” Hermione shifted so she was leaning against the wall of the cave, observing him serenely. “You want the other important conversation now?”**

_Sirius_ shook his head, chuckling. “It took me three days to get my head around everything.”

**“Is it anything like the other one?” Sirius asked, gnawing at a chicken leg. “Because I don’t think I can handle two of those in one day.”**

**Hermione thought for a second. “It’s about as emotional, but it’s all good news. Ish.”**

“Hey, we’re all alive!” James pointed out.

“And trapped with no foreseeable way of escaping.” _Addie_ finished flatly. “It only took me two months to accept the fact that I was going to die out there.”

 _Sirius_ closed his eyes. “Addie, for my sanity, would you _please_ not talk like that?”

 _Addie_ winced. “Sorry. I seem to have lost my filter.”

“Not sure you ever had one.” _Sirius_ muttered, his arm unconsciously tightening around her, reminding him that she was safe with him, at least for now.

**Sirius sighed. “Alright, hit me.”**

**Hermione pulled her bag onto her lap and rooted through it until she found the transcript of their conversation by the lake.**

“Good idea.” Lily approved. “Gives you some solid proof.”

**“Okay,” she began, holding it to her chest. “You know I’m an empath. You know the theory about the spirits, right?”  
“I do.” Sirius looked at her quizzically. “Is it true?”**

“No.” Hermione said airily. “I just thought I’d bring it up so we could have a spirited debate about it.”

**“Yeah, and there’s been a couple of spirits hanging around since just before Halloween.” Hermione said, glancing over to James and Lily. “They were the ones who told me you were up here.”**

**“Do their … bodies know?” Sirius asked worriedly.**

James smiled. “We know the truth anyway.”

**“No.” Hermione smiled. “Even if they did, it wouldn’t be the end of the world – they know you’re innocent.” She took a deep breath, making sure her empathy was fully contained. “James and Lily Potter aren’t dead; they’re stuck.”**

Harry burst out laughing. “That’s how you told him? They’re stuck?”

Hermione pouted. “Well, what would you have said?”

“They’re lost?” Harry suggested. “Missing? I don’t know.”

“Well, they are stuck.” Hermione pointed out practically, untangling herself from _Sirius_. She knew that the next few chapters would be difficult, but she also knew that _Addie_ would need him more than her.

**“Stuck.” Sirius repeated blankly.**

**Hermione nodded. “On an island. In an undetermined location.”**

Hermione grimaced. “I wasn’t making much sense, was I?”

“Oh, you were making sense.” _Sirius_ told her. “It just wasn’t making sense _to me_.”

**“Hold on.” Sirius rubbed his head. “How are they not dead, Hermione? I was the first to arrive, remember …”**

“And you never found them.” Jen pointed out.

“I know.” _Sirius_ sighed. “I never even considered that they might not be … Dumbledore said they were, so I believed that they were.”

Draco frowned. “Am I imagining that someone said that the Potters’ Wills said that Harry should go to his aunt?”

“I don’t think so.” Ginny answered slowly. “I thought I heard someone say that.”

“There’s no way.” Lily said adamantly.

“No, there isn’t.” Draco agreed. “Not least because the Potters are an Ancient and Noble Family, which means Gringotts wouldn’t release their Wills unless they were dead – the charm won’t break otherwise.”

Neville stared at him for a second. “He’s right.” He said after a few seconds. “Which means that either Dumbledore knows the Potters are alive and disregarded their Will, or he assumed they were dead and faked their Will.”

“Both of which are illegal.” David said through gritted teeth. “Sirius …”

“I’ll think of something.” _Sirius_ assured him with a sigh. “Whether or not I can actually _do_ it is another matter – I’m still wanted for mass-murder.” **  
“And you never found their bodies.” Hermione finished. “So how do you know they are?”**

**“Because …**

“Good reason.” Jen remarked sarcastically.

**Hermione, James and Lily would never have left Harry.” Sirius argued. “Or you.”**

“That’s true.” James nodded. “Not willingly, anyway.”

**“Not willingly.” Hermione agreed. “But Harry never hears the Killing Curse around the Dementors. I do, but only once, when it’s aimed at Harry. They were hit by a non-verbal transportation spell that gives off the same green light as the Killing Curse.”**

Draco glared at the floor, muttering something about hypocrites.

**Sirius was silent for a few minutes. “I want to believe you, Hermione; I do.”**

“Then why didn’t you?” Jen asked.

“First of all, it sounded unbelievable.” _Sirius_ answered. “Secondly … I don’t think I’d have coped if she was wrong.”

**“I used a dicta-quill for the first conversation, so that Harry could follow it.” Hermione offered, folding the parchment in her hands so just the first few lines were visible.**

“Why?” Lily asked curiously.

“Because I didn’t want him to find out Addie was alive from a few lines in a transcription.” Hermione answered. “I wanted to break the news to him somewhat gently.”

**“See?” She held it out, keeping a firm hold of it. “I’m not crazy and I’m not lying.”**

**“I didn’t say you were either.” Sirius pointed out.**

**“Well, I’m either telling the truth, or I’m lying, or I’m crazy.” Hermione smiled. “If I’m not the last two, by default, I’m telling the truth.”**

“Always the logical one.” Harry remarked with a smile.

Hermione smirked. “Someone has to be.”

**Sirius grinned at her. “Excellent point. Beginning of sixth year, after they started dating, James had a quiet word with me. We never spoke of it to anyone else. What did he say?”**

**Hermione looked over at James, who grinned as well. “That I didn’t know whether to hug him or hit him, and that he should try funnelling some of those matchmaking skills into his own love-life.”**

_Addie_ laughed. “I don’t think he needed anymore encouragement, Prongs.”

“Probably not.” James agreed.

**“It’s amazing how similar you two look when you smile.” Hermione commented.**

“It really is.” Lily agreed. “You could pass for brothers.”  
“We are brothers.” James said firmly.

**“Must be a Marauder thing. He told you he didn’t know whether to hug you or hit you and that you should try funnelling some of those matchmaking skills into your own love-life.”**

**Sirius stared at her for a second. “They’re alive.”**

Sirius cast a glance at his best friend – he could only imagine the relief his future self was feeling.

**“Keep going, Hermione.” Lily said softly.**

**Hermione unfolded the parchment and flattened it. “Thing is, Padfoot, they’re not alone out there.”**

**Sirius looked up sharply. “Death Eaters?”**

“Not anymore.” _Addie_ whispered.

**“No.” Hermione said with a smile. “Addie and Leona are with them.”**

**Instantly, she was hit with a barrage of emotion so strong that it took all of her efforts to keep a smile on her face.**

“It wasn’t that bad.” Hermione said immediately, when _Sirius_ looked up at her. “Any strong emotions give me a bit of a headache, and there were about a hundred there.”

“Are there even a hundred emotions?” _Addie_ wondered.

“There are when it comes to you.” _Sirius_ muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear.

**Sirius had closed his eyes. “Is she … Are they alright?”**

**Hermione glanced at Lily, who nodded hurriedly. “They’re both fine.”**

_Sirius_ glanced down at the woman in his arms. “Is that still true?”

 _Addie_ sighed. “I’m fine, Sirius.” She said flatly. “Compared with what _could_ have happened …” She trailed off with a shiver, and _Sirius_ pressed a kiss to her forehead.

**“They’re fine.” Hermione repeated.**

**Sirius opened his eyes, and Hermione didn’t need to be an empath to know what he was thinking. He looked like he had just been let off a death-sentence.**

“Yeah, that about sums it up.” _Sirius_ muttered.

His younger counterpart felt a shiver of dread run through him and unconsciously pulled Addie closer to him.

**“But … I saw _their_ bodies …”**

**“It’s a …” Hermione sighed. “Here.” She handed him the parchment. “Lily and James explained everything.”**

**Sirius took the transcript with a shaking hand, and Hermione moved to talk to Buckbeak, giving him some privacy. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, an occasional smirk or grimace telling her where he was.**

“You’ve always been easy to read.” _Addie_ murmured.

**Finally, he chuckled, wiping his eyes. “I guess they want me to stop blaming myself.”**

“You think?” James asked sarcastically. **  
“Good guess.” Hermione said lightly, crossing the cave and hugging him again. “Are you alright?”**

**“Never better.” Sirius kissed her forehead. “Thank you.”**

**Hermione didn’t bother asking why he was thanking her, and she sat down on the rock again, giving him a stern look. “I thought I told you to eat.”**

“I’m surprised she had to tell you twice.” Addie remarked.

**“And it’s good advice.” Sirius conceded, pulling some more chicken from the bag. “I’ve been living off rats mostly.”**

Lily shuddered.

**Hermione grimaced, wrinkling her nose. “Pretend they’re Wormtail.”**

_Addie_ kept reading quickly, not wanting to give anyone time to interrupt.

**“Oh, believe me, I have been.” Sirius said with a vicious smirk. “You look like Annie when you do that.**

Everyone looked at Hermione, who sighed, remembering her initial reaction to his proclamation. Her nose crinkled, and Lily chuckled. “You really do.”

**How was the Yule Ball?**

_Addie_ shook her head. “Subtle.”

“What?” _Sirius_ asked innocently.

“You were fishing.” _Addie_ accused lightly.

 _Sirius_ shrugged. “Just a bit.”

**We had a Ball in seventh year, you know.”**

**“I know.” Hermione said. “Lily told me.”**

**“Of course she did.” Sirius rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Who’d Harry end up going with?”**

**“Ginny.” Hermione answered. “You know, Ron’s little sister. Just as friends. I suggested that it would be easier to take someone he was familiar with, rather than add the pressure of a date.”**

**“That’s better advice than what I gave him.” Sirius admitted.**

_Addie_ groaned. “Oh, Merlin, Sirius, what did you do?!”

“Not what you’re thinking.” _Sirius_ admitted.

“He told me that I wasn’t allowed to date until I’m fifty.” Harry told her with a slight smirk. “Speaking of which,” he turned to Hermione, “I’m sorry, Mione, you’re just going to have to wait another thirty five years.”

“I understand.” Hermione said solemnly. “I’m not allowed to date until I’m fifty either.”

 _Addie_ chuckled. “Well, I’m on your side. Fifty’s pushing it.”

**“What did you tell him?” Hermione asked curiously.**

**Sirius shrugged. “Not good advice, let’s put it that way.”**

“At least you admit it.”

**Lily narrowed her eyes. “Hermione, what did he mean by that?”**

Sirius sighed. “As always, Lily, your faith in me is heart-warming.”

**Hermione sighed. “Lily wants me to make sure that you’re not corrupting her son.”**

Jen laughed. “Nice translation!”

“I didn’t say that!” Lily protested.

“Yeah, but you meant it.” Jen grinned.

 _Addie_ chuckled, and kept reading.

**“I didn’t say that.” Lily pointed out.**

**“No, but you meant it.”**

“Great minds think alike.” Jen smirked.

**Sirius chuckled. “You know how odd that is?” He looked over to where he thought Lily might be, about ten feet away from where she actually was.**

_Sirius_ grimaced. “Maybe I should just let you do the talking.”

Hermione shook her head. “No, they like it when other people talk to them – it makes them feel like they’re not completely invisible.”

**“Don’t worry, Lils; I told him that he wasn’t going near the opposite sex until he’s fifty.”**

**Lily sniggered. “Well, that’s alright then.”**

“Don’t wait until you’re fifty.” Lily said immediately. “We’re just kidding.”

“Speak for yourself.” _Sirius_ muttered, but with a smile playing on his face.

**“She’s happy with that.” Hermione concluded.**

**“So who did you go with?” Sirius asked.**

**Hermione smiled. “Viktor Krum.”**

**“The Durmstrang champion?” Sirius asked, sounding surprised.**

“Doubted he’d be easy to intimidate.” _Sirius_ murmured, just loud enough for _Addie_ to hear him.

“You know as well as I do that you can be _very_ intimidating when you want to be.” She whispered back.

**Hermione nodded. “Just as friends. He’s got a girlfriend back in Bulgaria, and I know he’s Harry’s competition, and that I probably shouldn’t trust him, but …”**

**“Hermione,” Sirius interrupted, “you’re an empath. He couldn’t lie to you. And I have no right to just turn up and start pulling the overprotective act.”**

_Addie_ snorted. “Oh please! You’re already doing that.”

“I didn’t mind.” Hermione insisted. **  
Hermione smirked. “But you’re doing it anyway.”**

**Sirius winced. “Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying. I knew a few boys back when I was in Hogwarts who used the “I’ve got a girlfriend and I just want to be friends” line.**

James and Sirius both developed mysterious coughing fits that sounded suspiciously like various names.

“Wait …” Lily narrowed her eyes. “They’re all people the Marauders have targeted.”

“You didn’t really think we just targeted wannabe Death Eaters, did you?” Sirius asked lightly. “Ye of little faith.”

**You don’t worry as much, because you don’t think you need to. I’m not saying that that the only reason he would want to be with you is a sinister one. I’m just saying to be careful; he is, what, four years older than you.” He paused. “Are Harry and Ron worried?”**

“Not really.” Harry answered casually. “He couldn’t exactly lie to her.”

**“No.” Hermione sighed. “Well, Harry isn’t. Ron has been acting like a complete git since September. To be honest, he’s got the emotional range of a teaspoon, so I’m not too worried, but he completely blew up in my face after the Ball.”**

_Addie_ raised an eyebrow. “You were still mad at him, weren’t you?”

Hermione blushed. “Just a little.”

**“Was it that bad?” Sirius asked cautiously.**

**Hermione shrugged. “I think he’s just looking out for me. But so was Harry and he didn’t manage to imply that no one would ever date me unless they wanted information on him.”**

“A little?” _Addie_ prompted with a smirk.

“A lot.” Hermione admitted.

**“Hermione …” Sirius sighed, threw an arm around her shoulder, and pulled her into a hug. “Don’t listen to him. You are an intelligent, attractive young woman and if those boys can’t see that then you don’t need them.”**

_Addie_ smiled up at him.

**Hermione smiled into his shoulder. “You’re enjoying the advice thing, aren’t you?”**

**Sirius grinned. “Well, I don’t often get to be the wise elder.”**

Jen snorted. “Never thought I’d hear the word wise in connection with Sirius.” **  
“You’re still not.” Hermione quipped.**

**“Oi!” Sirius protested, but he was smiling. “There’s the Marauder sense of humour.”**

**“She’s got the smirk down as well.” Lily commented. “Just like yours.”**

“It really is.” James murmured, glancing at her.

**“Lily says I’ve got the smirk as well.” Hermione repeated.**

**“You do.” Sirius agreed. “Harry and Ron are a bad influence on you.”**

“Well …” Harry shrugged, looking modest. “We do our best.”

**Hermione shrugged. “They do try.”**

**On Monday evening, the Common Room was filled with an anticipatory buzz.**

The atmosphere tightened suddenly, and Lily scowled. “Anticipatory … They’re sending my son to the bottom of the lake.”

“Lils,” James hugged her close, “he’s got the Gillyweed; he’ll be fine.”

“I wonder what they’ll take.” Jen said musingly.

**Tomorrow morning, they would journey down to the lakeside for the Second Task.**

**Hermione couldn’t help feeling that the organisers hadn’t really thought this Task through, from a Tournament perspective.**

**The First Task was all very well, but what was the point of having spectators for this one? Unless they had found some way of recreating Muggle underwater video cameras, and set up a live-feed (given how clueless most wizards were of Muggle technology, it seemed unlikely), all they would be doing was staring at a lake for an hour.**

“Fun.” Sirius commented sarcastically.

“Yeah, it wasn’t.” Ginny agreed.

**“How are you feeling?” Ginny asked Harry quietly.**

**“Honestly?” Harry shrugged. “Like someone’s reached down my throat, grabbed my small intestines, pulled them out of my mouth and tied them around my neck.”**

“Lovely.” Mandy grimaced.

**“Chocolate Frog?” Ron asked blandly, offering him the box.**

James snorted. “There’s always one.” He stated, glancing at Sirius, who pretended and failed to look offended.

**“Ron, don’t be a prat.” Hermione said tiredly, not even bothering to glare at him. “You’ll be fine, Harry. You’ve got the Gillyweed, you know what you’re doing … Just keep focussing on Saturday.”**

**Upon returning the Cloak, she had told Harry about Sirius and that he knew about James and Lily now, and the four were planning to visit him whilst in Hogsmeade that weekend.**

Regulus couldn’t help smiling, glad that his brother had at least some human company, if only for a little while.

**The one thing Hermione _hadn’t_ mentioned was her other connection with the Marauders. She would tell Harry, once she had managed to get her head around it, and when his attention wasn’t solely taken by the Second Task.**

“Probably a good idea.” David agreed.

**Harry nodded, attempting a smile, but failing miserably. “Any last words of advice?”**

**“Whatever the song says,” Ginny said quietly, “Dumbledore won’t let anything happen to whatever’s been taken. Don’t do anything stupid.**

“Good advice.” Lily whispered.

**Just get in, grab whatever it is, and get out.”  
“Billy, don’t be a hero.” Hermione agreed with a smile.**

Hermione rolled her eyes – she should have known Harry wouldn’t listen to that advice.

“What’s Billy got to do with it?” Sirius asked in bewilderment.

“It’s a Muggle song.” Hermione explained. “Released in 1974.”

 **“Er, Hermione?” Ron asked, looking like he feared for her sanity. “That’s Harry, remember? Not Billy.”**  
Harry finally cracked a smile. “It’s a Muggle reference, Ron.”  
No one paid any attention to the portrait hole swinging open, until the room went quiet, whereupon they looked up to see Professor McGonagall.

Lily frowned. “What’s she doing in the common room?”

**“Mr Weasley, Miss Granger,” she called over the students, “if you could come with me please. Mr _Ron_ Weasley,” she corrected, when Fred and George made to stand as well.**

David closed his eyes. “I’m wrong. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“What is it, Dad?” James asked.

David didn’t answer, looking at Harry. “Harry, you did have to retrieve some _thing_ from the lake, right? Not some _one_.”

Harry smiled sheepishly. “No, Granddad, it was someone.”

Lily gasped. “They used hostages?!”

Hermione grimaced. “Yeah. That was fun.”

**“Is there a problem, Professor?” Hermione asked curiously.**

**“You won’t need your things, Miss Granger.” Professor McGonagall told her, causing her to drop her bag. “You’re not in any trouble. Come along, quickly.”**

“So which one was Harry’s hostage?” Jen asked.

“Ron.” Hermione answered. “I was Viktor’s – they couldn’t get anyone else.” **  
Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, said goodbye to the others, and followed Professor McGonagall out of the portrait hole.**

**They walked in silence, but the two Lions could tell that their Head of House was worried about something.**

“Well, I shouldn’t imagine she’d be too happy about two of her Lions being at the bottom of the lake.” Addie said fairly.

**Her movements were stiffer than usual, and when they reached the entrance to Professor Dumbledore’s office, she stopped and spoke to them in a low voice.**

**“Now I want you to remember that this is a request, not a demand. If either of you want to decline, I urge that you do so. Do you understand?”**

“But you didn’t.” Sirius stated confidently. “Because you’re Gryffindors.”

Hermione shrugged. “Rather us than someone else. Besides, if Harry’s stuck going down there, we may as well join him.”

**For once, Hermione didn’t understand at all …**

Fred gasped, falling off his chair. “No! Say it isn’t so!”

**… and, looking at Ron, it was clear he didn’t either. Nevertheless they nodded, and she gave the password to the gargoyle, who jumped aside.**

**“Go on.” Professor McGonagall told them, sounding more like herself again. “He’s waiting.”**

**Hermione stepped onto the spiral staircase, letting it carry her up to the big oak doors, Ron standing just behind her. Neither of them had been in Professor Dumbledore’s office before, but Harry had told them it was quite a sight to behold.**

“It really is.” Lily agreed.

**Hermione took a deep breath, and knocked sharply on the door, just above the gleaming gold plate reading _Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore._**

Sirius sniggered. “Brian.”

“What’s wrong with Brian?” Addie asked.

“Nothing.” Sirius answered, smirking. “It’s just a normal name, in amongst all those others.”

**“Come in.”**

**They pushed the door open to see Professor Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, talking to Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime. Sitting on one of the sofas behind them were Cho Chang and a young girl of about eight, with silvery blonde hair and the same blue eyes as Fleur.**

“Sister?” Lily asked.

Hermione nodded. “Gabrielle.”

“Poor girl.” Jen murmured. “Veela magic relies on air and fire; they don’t do well underwater at all. Fleur’s really going to fall down on this one.”

**Both girls had very pale, yet very determined faces and, as all eyes in the room turned to fall on her and Ron, Hermione felt her heart stop.**

**_We’ve taken what you’ll sorely miss …_ **

“Didn’t take you long to figure it out.” _Addie_ remarked, closing the book. “Shall we have dinner then?”

“Good idea.” Hermione agreed. “After this, it starts getting interesting.”


	24. Chapter Twenty Two - Cause for Concern

As it turned out, their hosts provided a meal, and everyone ate their fill. Ginny and Lily chatted about the new robe shop in Hogsmeade, and David and James talked to Harry about the Potter family history.

Once everyone had finished, they all returned to the seating area and Addie picked up the book, finding the next chapter.

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**Cause for Concern**

Lily paled, but Hermione smiled comfortingly at her. “I think we talk to Sirius in this chapter as well – it’s probably all the strange things that have been happening. Nothing went wrong with the task.”

“I just hope it’s from your viewpoint again.” Addie muttered.

**“Ah, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley,” Dumbledore greeted them. “I trust you know why you’re here.”**

**Ron shook his head …**

“He hadn’t guessed?” Fred asked.

“He’s always been a little slow on the uptake.” Hermione pointed out.

**… but Hermione nodded shakily. “We’re hostages, aren’t we?”**

**“Hostages?” Ron repeated blankly.**

Fred rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Ronnie, keep up.”

**“ _While you’re searching, ponder this: we’ve taken what you’ll sorely miss._ ” Hermione recited. “Remember? We all thought it meant material possessions; it meant us, but …” She took another look around the room, frowning slightly. “Unless Viktor’s hostage hasn’t arrived yet, it seems a bit presumptuous to say that I’m what he’ll ‘sorely miss’ after a few weeks.”**

**Dumbledore inclined his head to her. “Very true, Miss Granger. However, with Mr Krum’s family in Bulgaria and any other important person …**

“He knows about the girlfriend.” Jen murmured.

**… unavailable, you are our only option.”**

**The twinkle in her headmaster’s eyes made Hermione think that he knew about Viktor’s absent girlfriend – she knew that they had managed to keep their relationship secret from everyone else but their immediate family so that she could avoid the media spotlight.**

**It still made her a rather odd choice, but then she was also, apparently, the only choice. “What exactly does this entail?”**

“Smart girl.” David said. “Get all the facts first.”

**“And how do you know Harry will take the right hostage?”**

“Good question.” Arabella agreed.

**Ron put in. “I mean,” he added, when the three head teachers exchanged a glance …**

“They hadn’t thought of that.” Sirius smirked.

**… “as much as I hate to admit it, Mione’s been more supportive of Harry than I have this year.**

James nodded firmly. Apparently, he still hadn’t completely forgiven Ron for his behaviour.

**Even if she hadn’t, he’s more likely to go to her first.”**

**Hermione shook her head. “He’d go to whoever he saw first.”**

**“Which is always you.” Ron added with a strange smile.**

“Why do I get the feeling that Ron knew about this before we did?” Harry asked.

“Because apparently the whole school did.” Hermione answered dryly, glaring at Ginny, who merely smiled innocently.

**Hermione would have argued, but here and now was not the time to do so or to question exactly what he meant. “I’m sure the champions will be informed of their hostages, right, Professor?”**

“We were.” Harry confirmed. “Bagman explained to the crowd what the task was and who had been taken.”

**“Indeed, Miss Granger.” Dumbledore agreed. “As to your roles, I will, with your permission of course, put you in an enchanted sleep, from which you will only awaken after the task and once you have broken the surface.”**

“So it’s not time-related.” David nodded. “That’s good. Spell?”

“Potion.” Hermione corrected.

**Hermione nodded slowly. “Will there be any lasting effects?”**

**“A good question, Miss Granger, but there is nothing to worry about.” Dumbledore told her kindly.**

**Hermione glanced at Ron, who was looking thoughtful. She couldn’t honestly say she was entirely comfortable with the situation …**

“Then say no.” David said. “If you have no faith in Dumbledore …”

“But I do have faith in Harry.” Hermione finished with a smile.

**… but she also knew Harry – even with their advice, there was no way Harry would leave anyone at the bottom of that lake. “Alright, I’m in.”**

**“Me too.” Ron agreed almost instantly.**

**“Wonderful.” Dumbledore beamed. “Just take a seat with Miss Chang and Miss Delacour while we wait for Professor Snape to arrive with the potion.”**

“Snape made the potion?” Sirius asked distrustfully.

“He was hardly going to poison three students and a child in front of three teachers.” Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

**Hermione took a seat next to Fleur’s sister (because she must have been her sister – Gabrielle, if she remembered correctly) …**

“Fleur had told me about her.” Hermione explained.

**… and felt the young girl shift closer to her slightly, shaking almost unnoticeably. “ _Tu va bien?_ ”**

“Are you alright?” Hermione translated.

**The girl started, but smiled shakily.** **“ _Oui_ , _Madame Maxime_ _m’a assurée que je serais en sûreté. Mais la magie des velane est plutôt reliée au feu et a l’air – je ne me débrouille pas très bien sous l’eau._ ”**

“Yes, Madame Maxime has assured me that I will be safe. But a Veela’s magic relies on fire and air – we do not fare so well underwater.” Hermione said. “Your accent’s flawless, by the way.”

Addie smirked. “Learnt when I was a toddler.”

**Hermione patted her hand. _“Fleur ne laissera rien te faire du mal. Je ne pense pas que les autres champions vont laissez ça arriver de toute façon. Tu es Gabriel, n’est-ce pas ? La sœur de Fleur?”_**

As everyone turned to Hermione for a translation, Sirius leaned down to whisper in Addie’s ear. “Do you have any idea how sexy that is?”

Addie lifted the book to hide her blush and elbowed him in the side.

Hermione took a moment to remember what she’d said. “Fleur will not let anything happen to you.” She said slowly. “I do not think the other champions will let that happen either. You are Gabrielle, aren’t you? Fleur’s sister?”

**She looked startled.** **_“Comment connais-tu mon nom?”_ **

“How did you know my name?”

**_“J’ai discutée avec ta soeur a la bibliothèque.”_ ** **Hermione told her. _“Elle parle de toi souvent._** **_Je m’appelle Hermione._ ** **”**

“I have spoken with your sister in the library. She speaks of you often. My name is Hermione.”

**Before Gabrielle could respond, there was a knock at the door and Snape entered with a steaming bottle, which he decanted into four glasses.**

**Dumbledore flicked his wand and they soared over to float in front of each of the four hostages.**

**Cho drank hers first, swiftly falling unconscious and sagging against the side of the sofa.**

“Fast-acting.” Mandy frowned. “I don’t even know what kind of potion that would be.”

**Ron moved to sit on Hermione’s other side, bracing himself against the other arm, before lifting his glass to her in a toast. “So you’ve got a softer landing.”**

Arabella raised an eyebrow. “So there is a gentleman in there somewhere. I had wondered.”

**He said with a grin. “Cheers!”**

**As he gulped down the potion, with the same results, Hermione raised an eyebrow. “That was actually … sweet of him. Will wonders never cease?”**

**To her surprise, Madame Maxime chuckled …**

“So the woman has a heart.” Harry muttered, earning a stern look from Lily. “Well, she was a bit hard when my name got thrown in.”

**… and she spared the woman a smile, before turning to Gabrielle.** **“ _Après toi.”_**

“After you.”

**_“Est-ce que tu me verras après cela?”_ ** **Gabrielle asked in a quiet voice.**

“Will you see me afterwards?”

“She must have been scared.” Lily whispered.

**Hermione smiled at her. “ _Bien sur._ ”**

“Of course.”

**Gabrielle took a deep breath, and swallowed the potion in one gulp.**

“Gryffindor.” James stated.

“Beauxbatons.” Jen corrected with a smirk. “But you’re right, she would have been.”

**As she sagged sideways, Hermione quickly slipped an arm around her shoulders, letting the girl settle into her side.**

**She lifted the potion to her lips, glancing into the corner as Lily appeared, nodding and smiling at her.**

**“It’s safe.” The redhead told her. “James took a look at the potion over Snape’s shoulder – he got an Exceeds Expectations in his NEWTs …**

James grinned. “Brilliant.”

**… and he always had a flair for spotting poisons – he got extra marks in his auror exams.”**

David gave James a proud smile, as the boy reddened slightly.

**Hermione nodded every so slightly, and downed the potion, letting herself – and Gabrielle – fall against Ron’s chest. _Good luck, Harry._**

Addie breathed a sigh of relief. “No, it’s from Hermione’s point of view.”

**When Hermione opened her eyes again, the first thing she became aware of was the piercing cold surrounding her body.**

Hermione shivered at the memory and Harry pulled her closer.

**Interestingly, the cold hit her before the wet did.**

Harry grimaced. “I had that as well.”

**A pair of strong arms encircled her waist and, as her other senses returned, bringing the Black Lake and the cheering crowds on the bank into sharp relief, she half-expected to see Harry’s face when she looked round.**

“Sorry.” Harry grinned. “I was preoccupied.”

“By what?” Lily asked hastily.

“Playing the hero.” Hermione said, rolling her eyes. “ _Someone_ didn’t listen to me.”

**She wondered if Ron’s line of questioning the night before had somehow messed with her head.**

“Ron’s enough to mess with anyone’s head.” Ginny said dismissively, earning a snort of laughter from Draco.

**When she glanced around though, she nearly screamed – apparently, Viktor had risen to the challenge by transfiguring himself into a shark, except only his head had changed.**

James grimaced. “Lovely.”

“And you’re welcome.” Harry added.

“For what?” Hermione asked.

“I gave him the stone to cut away the seaweed holding you down there.” Harry explained. “He was all for biting it off.”

“Oh honestly,” Hermione sighed, “he’d have ripped me to shreds!”

**Thankfully, her head was too fast for her, and she managed to fight it back and give him a small smile, waiting for him to pull his wand and undo the spell.**

**“Are you alright?” He asked, when his head was his own again.**

**“I think so.” Hermione answered, swimming back to shore beside him. He helped her up on to the bank, where they were promptly accosted by Madame Pomfrey, who wrapped them in blankets and gave them Pepper-Up Potion and hot chocolate.**

“Good.” Regulus muttered.

**“What happened down there?” Hermione asked urgently, drying her hair with a towel. She could see James and Lily hovering by the edge of the lake …**

Lily rested her head on James’s shoulder, hating that she couldn’t be there for her son.

**… glancing over at her every few seconds, both worried just as much about her, but unwilling to leave their current posts.**

**Percy – apparently still filling in for Barty Crouch – was pacing up and down a few metres away from him …**

“He cared?” Fred asked in surprise.

“Stop it, Fred.” Hermione snapped.

**… and she realised with a jolt that Harry and Ron must still be in the lake.**

Lily turned her face into James’s shoulder, letting out a little moan.

**“Vell, from vhat I saw, Potter used Gillyveed and Diggory used the Bubblehead Charm.” Viktor told her, glancing over her head. “It looks like he beat us back.”**

“Everyone beat him back.” Neville muttered. “We started to worry that something had gone wrong.” **  
**

**Hermione followed his gaze to see Cedric with his arm around Cho. He caught her eye and grinned rather embarrassedly as his girlfriend tried to recapture his attention by attempting a tonsillectomy with the sole use of her tongue.**

“Lovely.” Jen drawled, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

**At least that’s what it looked like.**

“Someone needs to work on her technique.” _Addie_ muttered, elbowing _Sirius_ as he opened his mouth.

**“Fleur used the Bubblehead Charm as well.” Viktor continued. “But her hostage vas still there and she is back.”**

**Hermione looked towards the lake again, seeing Fleur being restrained by Madame Maxime and fighting tooth and nail to get back to the water. Her arms were covered in angry red scratches.**

“Grindylows.” Remus and Jen said in unison.

“Aww, they’ve started talking in unison.” Sirius cooed.

“Get used to it.” _Sirius_ advised. “It reached the point where it was like talking to one mind in two bodies.”

**“Poor girl. Judging by those scratches, I’d say she got caught by the Grindylows.”**

Hermione blushed, as everyone smiled at her. **  
**

**“I only just escaped them.” Viktor commented. “How did Potter get past them so easily?”**

“That’s my boy.” James said, beaming.

Jen cleared her throat. “Let’s not forget _why_ he could get past him.”

“Thank you, Remus.” Lily said sincerely. “I’d much rather my son wasn’t drowned by water demons.”

**Hermione smiled wryly. “Luckily, the only decent Defence teacher we’ve had covered every magical creature that could possibly be considered ‘dark’. And Harry happens to be the top of the class in that subject.”**

“That’s you.” Harry corrected.

“The only year we _both_ sat the exam and it was taught by a _competent_ teacher was third year.” Hermione pointed out. “And you beat me by a mile.”

**She cast another anxious glance at the lake. “Is he still down there?”**

**Viktor nodded. “He beat me to the hostages, and he had Veasley free, but it looked like he vas vaiting for something.”**

“I wasn’t going to leave an eight-year-old alone down there.” Harry stated stubbornly.

**Hermione groaned, her suspicions proven correct. “I told him! I told him not to be a hero!”**

**“My parents vere vondering if you vould like to visit Bulgaria this summer.” Viktor said, changing the subject. “My mother is good friends vith the Transfiguration professor at Durmstrang, who is good friends vith your Professor McGonagall. Apparently she has many good things to say about you and Mother vants to offer you a summer apprenticeship.**

James let out a low whistle. “That’s impressive. McGonagall doesn’t often brag about her students outside of school. In the staff room, yes, but not to other people.”

“Did you do it?” Lily asked eagerly.

Hermione smiled. “No. Something came up, so I ended up at Headquarters instead.”

**Katarina vould like to meet you as vell.”**

**“Really?” Hermione asked, surprised – she hadn’t known Professor McGonagall thought that highly of her. “Well, it would be an amazing experience … but I don’t know what I’m doing this summer yet. I don’t even know where I’m going to stay …”**

“In hell.” _Sirius_ muttered darkly.

**She broke off abruptly as Lily screamed from the lakeside …**

Lily gasped, grabbing James tightly.

**… and the crowd roared. Her head screamed in pain and she clutched at with a gasp, losing her balance, even though she was seated. As Viktor put a hand on her shoulder to steady her, she took deep, gulping breaths, trying to dim the pain in her head.**

**For once, her empathy refused to listen …**

“Were you alright?” _Addie_ asked sharply.

“I was fine.” Hermione smiled weakly. “

**… and she retreated deeper into the depths of her mind, catching glimpses of memory as she did so.**

**One voice floated above the others, and she paused to listen to it, even as the pain subsided. _“Hermione, darling, I am so sorry. Harry, I love you. I love you so much, Pumpkin. Just close your eyes, sweetheart, and go to sleep.”_**

“That’s me …” Lily whispered, shock colouring her expression. “Why the hell was I telling you to go to sleep?! That was that night, right?”

Hermione sighed. “It was. I’ve never asked, Lily, but …”

“You didn’t want them to be scared.” _Addie_ interrupted. “You told me about it. You didn’t have your wand and you knew the only thing you could do was delay the inevitable. You didn’t want them to be awake when … when it happened.”

**Hermione shook her head, the Hogwarts grounds coming back into view. Viktor was looking concernedly at her.**

**“Are you alright?”**

**“I’m fine.” Hermione smiled weakly. “Just a sudden headache, that’s all – I wasn’t expecting it.” She focused on the lake, where Harry, Ron and Gabrielle had resurfaced.**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

**The two boys exchanged a few words, before they seized Gabrielle under the arms and swam with her towards the edge.**

**Percy, to Hermione’s surprise, waded out to meet them, his face pale against his red hair, and pulled Ron the rest of the way, much to his younger brother’s embarrassment.**

“Really?” Arabella asked, sounding surprised.

“Whatever disagreements he may have had, Ron’s still his little brother.” Regulus said quietly. “Of course he’d want to make sure he was okay.”

**Fleur had finally managed to break free and grabbed her younger sister in a hug, sobbing unashamedly …**

“I guess Harry wasn’t the only one to take the song seriously.” Mandy remarked, looking sympathetic.

**… while Dumbledore and Bagman each grasped one of Harry’s arms to help him up onto the bank.**

**Hermione gasped when she saw how pale Harry looked, and his limp posture.**

Lily paled dramatically, and Harry reached over to grasp her hand. “I’m fine, Mum. Gillyweed ran out just before I got to the surface, and I still needed to get two other people up as well.”

**“Oh sweet Merlin!”**

**“Vhat is it?” Viktor asked.**

**“Harry only had enough Gillyweed for an hour.” Hermione whispered, glancing at the huge clock that had been conjured over the stands. Even if the champions had been delayed, Harry was at least ten minutes outside the time frame.**

“Seventeen minutes actually.” Neville corrected.

**Madam Pomfrey dragged Harry, wrapped firmly in towel and blanket …**

Lily nodded approvingly.

**… over to them, then left to collect Fleur and Gabrielle, and to rescue Ron from Percy’s clutches. Dumbledore was kneeling by the lakeside, talking with one of the merpeople.**

**As soon as Harry was close enough, Hermione flung her arms around him, as well as she could while wrapped in a thick woollen blanket. “Harry, are you alright?”  
“Are _you_ alright?” Harry responded, shivering slightly.**

“Always worrying about everyone else.” Hermione muttered affectionately.

**“I was in a potion-induced sleep, Harry.” Hermione said, pushing the Pepper-Up Potion towards his lips. “Drink it.”**

“Thank you.” Lily murmured.

**“Thank you.” Lily whispered, as close to Harry as she could get.**

**Only once Harry had drained the glass – and his ears had stopped smoking – did Hermione speak again. “You took the song seriously, didn’t you?”**

Harry smiled sheepishly. “Just a little bit.”

**“You haff a vater-beetle in your hair, Hermione.” Viktor said quietly, explaining the soft tug on her hair as he pulled it out.**

David frowned. “That’s an odd thing for the story to mention.”

Hermione shrugged. “Detailed, though.”

**“Thanks.” Hermione said absently. “Harry, we would have been safe. Dumbledore wouldn’t have let us drown.”**

**“First of all, I’d like to see you think logically in that situation.”**

Fred snorted. “You did remember who you were talking to, right?”

**Harry paused. “Scratch that, _you’d_ probably manage it. For those of us without super-human brains, it’s not so easy.”**

Hermione blushed slightly. “Flatterer.”

**Hermione smiled slightly. “Second of all?”**

**“Second of all, if you think that I’d leave a kid that young at the bottom of that lake,” Harry said, jerking a thumb towards the water, “you don’t know me as well as you should.”**

**Hermione chuckled. “No, I knew you’d do it. I was just hoping I was wrong for once. If that Gillyweed had worn off any earlier …”**

**“But it didn’t.” Harry interrupted. “So it’s fine.”**

Lily rolled her eyes. “Just like your father,” she muttered, fondness lacing her tone.

**Hermione rolled her eyes, but at that moment, Madam Pomfrey returned with Ron, Fleur and Gabrielle, who threw herself into Hermione’s arms.**

**“’Ermione, zank you for comforting ‘er last night.” Fleur said sincerely. “She was just telling me about eet.”**

**“It was nothing.” Hermione assured her.**

**Fleur waved Madam Pomfrey away. “Look after Gabrielle.” She turned to Harry. “You saved ‘er. Even zough she was not your ‘ostage.”**

“I don’t think any of us were surprised.” Fred remarked. “Well, no one in Gryffindor, anyway.” **  
**

**“I couldn’t just leave her.” Harry repeated.**

**Fleur swooped down, kissed Harry twice on each cheek, and turned to Ron. “And you too. You ‘elped.”**

Jen snorted. “Hardly.”

**Ron looked hopeful. “Yeah! Yeah, I did!”**

Lily rolled her eyes. “Boys.”

**Hermione rolled her eyes as Fleur kissed his cheeks too and pulled Gabrielle over to a chair, fussing over her. Dumbledore had finished his conversation and was now talking quietly with the judges.**

**“And how, exactly, did you do that, Ron? By snoring at her?”**

The girls sniggered.

**The tips of Ron’s ears turned red, but Ludo Bagman’s voice suddenly boomed across the lake, making them all jump.**

**“Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached a decision! Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake …**

“So Harry might not be penalised for getting back outside the time frame.” David remarked.

**… and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows. Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubblehead Charm, was attacked by Grindylows as she approached her goal and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points.”**

“Fair enough.” Sirius said. “So she’s got sixty-four points now, hasn’t she?”

Jen nodded. “It won’t be enough though. There’s no way she can perform well enough in the Third Task to catch up.”

“Not necessarily.” David told her. “Traditionally, the Third Task is some sort of obstacle course, with the Triwizard Cup at the end. The points give you a head start – she’ll start behind the others, but that doesn’t mean she can’t catch up.”

**The crowd applauded, as Fleur stroked her sister’s hair, shaking her head. “I deserved zero.”**

**“Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubblehead Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of one hour. We therefore award him forty-seven points.”**

The students applauded.

“Eighty-five points.” Lily concluded.

**As the Hufflepuffs in the crowd exploded, Hermione quickly did the maths in her head. _Let’s see, Fleur had thirty-nine, so that means she’s now got sixty-four. Cedric had thirty-eight … plus forty-seven is … eighty-five._**

Lily and Sirius smiled sheepishly.

**“Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points.”**

“Eighty points.” Jen said. “Cedric’s winning at the moment.”

**Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior …**

Jen rolled her eyes. “Oh, honestly! What did _he_ do?!”

**… Hermione noticed. _Arrogant prat._**

Jen laughed and leaned over the others to give Hermione a high-five. “Well said.”

**_So if Viktor had forty, he’s now got eighty. Cedric’s in the lead so far._ **

**“Harry Potter used Gillyweed to great effect. He returned last and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr Potter was the first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all the hostages to safety, not merely his own.”**

Lily smiled at Harry, clearly not perturbed by this at all. “I’m glad you wanted to keep them safe, sweetheart, but just try to remember that your own safety is important as well.” **  
**

**Hermione gave Harry an exasperated look and saw, to her amusement, that Ron was doing the same thing …**

Addie raised an eyebrow, reading ahead.

**… but they were both caught off guard when Bagman announced that most of the judges …**

Regulus sighed. “I bet Karkaroff was odd one out.”

**… (he threw a very nasty look at Karkaroff, who looked thoroughly unrepentant) felt this showed moral fibre and that Harry was to be awarded forty-five points.**

“Bloody hell!” Sirius whispered. “That takes Harry to eight-five points as well – he’s tied for first place again.”

**In fact, for once, it took Hermione several minutes to catch up.**

“Which means you know she was shocked.” Ginny quipped.

**“There you go, Harry!” Ron yelled over the noise, clapping Harry on the back. “You weren’t being thick after all! You were showing moral fibre!”**

**“The third and final task will take place at dusk on the sixteenth of June. The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand.”**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. “So you don’t have to worry until May.”

**Hermione tuned out the rest of Bagman’s words, as Madam Pomfrey began herding the champions and hostages towards the castle for dry clothes, muttering  all the while about insane competitions.**

Remus chuckled. “Normally, I’d say she fusses too much, but for once I agree with her.”

**As worried as she was about Harry, Hermione couldn’t help realising that Harry was tied for first place once again, this time with Cedric. At this rate, it seemed that Harry wouldn’t just survive the Tournament – there was a very good chance he’d win it.**

“But we don’t want that.” James said unsurely. “Right?”

David sighed. “James, I honestly don’t know.”

**“I can’t believe what that woman did!”**

“What?” Arabella asked, bewildered.

“It’s another scene.” Addie explained, scanning the next few lines. “I think they’re going to see Sirius.”

**Ginny’s voice floated back to them, and Hermione bit back a smile. ‘That woman’ happened to be Rita Skeeter …**

“Oh, what now?!” Jen groaned.

**… who had published a rather scathing article in _Witch Weekly_ entitled ‘Harry Potter’s Secret Heartache’.**

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I’d done a very good job of forgetting that.”

**The redhead’s anger was out of protectiveness, rather than taking it personally – it was Hermione who was apparently ‘toying’ with Harry’s affections.**

“What?!” James and Lily asked in unison.

Hermione nodded cheerfully. “Oh, yes. Apparently I was stringing him and Viktor along. There was a positively lovely comment from Pansy Parkinson about how I’d probably used a love potion on both of them.”

“What I found unbelievable was the hypocrisy of it!” Ginny said darkly. “How was it she described you? ‘Plain, but ambitious’? You were ‘stunningly pretty’ in November!”

“She’s always been stunningly pretty.” Harry corrected, wrapping an arm round Hermione’s shoulders.

**Hermione had been furious, and had received some very nasty letters from readers …**

“What kind of letters?” _Addie_ asked sharply, before _Sirius_ could.

“Oh, the usual.” Hermione said, her voice laced with bitterness. “Harry Potter deserves better than the likes of you. Go back where you came from, Muggle.”

“Hagrid got them too.” Harry scowled, running a hand through Hermione’s hair. “Some people have nothing better to do with their lives.”

Addie scowled and finished the sentence.

**… including one filled with undiluted Bubotuber pus.**

“Did you report it?” David asked.

“To whom?” Hermione responded tiredly. “Half the teachers in the hall saw what happened; Madam Pomfrey knew what had happened. I just got the impression that I just had to put up with it.”

**Her hands still hadn’t completely healed …**

“They’re still not.” Hermione sighed, as Harry ran a thumb over the scars on her hands.

**… but she was trying not to think about it – the sun was shining, the sky was blue (although the February winds still howled through the streets), and she, Ginny, Ron and Harry were walking though Hogsmeade, armed with a bag of food, to meet Sirius.**

**She had purposely slowed her pace, knowing that Harry would fall back too. “I need to talk to you.”**

“You’re going to tell him about your mum.” Lily guessed.

Hermione nodded. “I wanted to tell him privately before I told Ron and Ginny.”

**“What about?” Harry asked quietly.**

**Hermione took a deep breath. “I’m not Muggle-born. My mother’s a witch. Sirius used to baby-sit me so often I used to call him Dad. And your parents were watching me the night they were attacked.”**

Remus chuckled. “Casual.”

Hermione shrugged. “I couldn’t be bothered to tell the whole story, so I just gave him the basics.”

**She smiled slightly at the stunned expression on his face. “I found out about a week ago. Didn’t want to throw you off the task.”**

**Finally he took a deep breath. “So now what?”**

**“I don’t know.” Hermione admitted. “I don’t think anything’s going to change that much, Harry; I just figured you should know. Especially since … Well, I remember that night better than you do.”**

**Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry stiffen, but he didn’t break stride. “Mum said something, didn’t she?”**

“Good guess.” Hermione murmured.

**“That she loved you.” Hermione answered softly. “So much.”**

“Thank you.” Lily whispered.

**Harry nodded jerkily, and she reached out and squeezed his hand as they caught up with Ron and Ginny.**

**“I can’t believe her!” Ginny repeated.**

**“Let it go, Gin.” Hermione said calmly, easily inserting herself into the conversation. “The people who care don’t matter, and the people who matter don’t care.”**

David smiled and nodded. “An excellent way of looking at things.”

**“Good philosophy.” Harry remarked, as they reached the stile, where a large black dog was waiting for them, a few newspapers in his mouth.**

**“Hello, Padfoot.” Harry greeted. The dog sniffed the bag eagerly, and set of up the mountain path.**

**Hermione vaulted the fence and jogged after him, the other three following close behind.**

“What happens if people see you?” Jen asked worriedly.

 _Addie_ shrugged. “Hogwarts students wander up there all the time. I assume you’ve at least put Notice-Me-Not Charms over the cave.”

“No.” Sirius admitted. “But I did ward it so only the people who knew I was innocent could see it.”

“Good.” _Addie_ stated simply. “At least you still retained some of your common sense.”

**“Isn’t anyone going to wonder where we’re going?” Ginny asked, glancing over her shoulder.**

**“They’ll just think we’re on a double-date or something.” Harry answered with a shrug. “How much further?”**

**“Just round this corner.” Hermione called.**

**“You’re telling us all the whole story later.” Harry told her in an undertone.**

“It took a while.” Hermione remembered.

**“I know.” Hermione turned to Ginny as they reached the cave entrance and gave her a leg up onto the outcrop. Then she transformed and leapt up herself.**

**Buckbeak opened his huge orange eyes as she turned human again, and she steered Ginny over to him. “Keep eye contact and bow.”**

“I guess Hagrid didn’t do hippogriffs with your class.” Jen commented.

Ginny shook her head. “No, he only teaches the sixth and seventh years about them now.” **  
**

**The hippogriff regarded them imperiously for a minute, then bowed back, allowing Ginny to tentatively pat his feathery neck. “He’s beautiful.”**

Jen smiled. “Good way to get on a hippogriff’s good side.”

“Isn’t that how you handled the griffin earlier this year?” Sirius asked.

Mandy rolled her eyes. “We wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t insulted her.”

Sirius shrugged. “What? I wasn’t trying to. It was supposed to be a compliment.”

**She murmured. “Aren’t you?”**

**Buckbeak preened under the praise, leaning into her petting like a cat.**

**Hermione turned back to the cave entrance, in time to see Padfoot shift back into Sirius, Ron and Harry standing beside him.**

**She hugged him, as the two boys bowed to Buckbeak, and Sirius tossed the papers on to the floor, before embracing Harry as well. “How are you?”**

**“Better than I was Tuesday morning.” Harry quipped. “At least Ron and Hermione have stopped oversleeping.”**

“I guess that potion did have a side-effect then.” Mandy commented.

“Not much of one.” Hermione assured her. “We were just very tired for a few days.”

**Hermione rolled her eyes. The sleeping draught _had_ had a side-effect – she had been finding it difficult to get out of bed in the morning.**

**Sirius’s gaze turned to the other two fourth years, lingering longer on Hermione. “But you’re both alright now?”**

_Addie_ chuckled under her breath. “Overprotective …”

**“Both fine.” Ron answered for her, stroking Buckbeak’s neck. “This is Ginny, by the way – my sister.”**

**“It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.” Sirius said with a smile, shaking her hand. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that James and Lily had another kid.”**

James laughed. “There is a strong resemblance.”

**Ginny laughed. “And since you do know better?”**

**“You look more like your aunt than your mother.” Sirius answered.**

Everyone looked at Ginny, who blushed slightly under the attention.

“He’s right.” Jen said. “You do look a lot like Maddie.”

**Ron and Ginny exchanged a puzzled glance. “Aunt?” She repeated. “We only had uncles – Uncle Bilius on Dad’s side …**

“That’s the guy who saw ‘the Grim’, right?” Arabella asked.

“Yeah.” Fred confirmed. “He went a bit loopy towards the end. I miss him, really – he was great fun at parties. He used to down a bottle of firewhiskey, then run on to the dance floor, hoist up his robes, and start pulling bunches of flowers out of his …”

“He sounds,” Hermione said loudly, cutting him off, “like a right charmer.”

“Never married for some reason.” Fred said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “You don’t say.”

Sirius pouted. “Why do you get all the cool relatives?”

“Technically, he is our relative.” Jen pointed out. “Bilius and Arthur’s mother was Cedrella Black – Aunt Emily’s sister, remember? They were both Mother’s cousins, but Cedrella was disowned.”

“If the Weasleys and the Potters are both ‘blood traitors’,” Harry said, using air quotes, “why was it only Cedrella who was disowned?”

“Because the Weasleys are poor blood traitors,” Ginny answered flatly, “whereas the Potters are filthy rich – they may have refused to acknowledge your grandmother as family in private, but they wouldn’t do anything visible so they could still use the connections.”

 _Sirius_ shrugged. “What she said. Aunt Emily saw right through it of course.”

**… and Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon on Mum’s.”**

**Hermione flinched slightly. Mandy and Arabella had told them about the day the Prewett twins were killed, after Death Eaters had run riot.**

**“Molly’s sister, Madeline, was in Gryffindor with me.” Sirius told them quietly. “She was killed during our seventh year, at the same time as your grandparents.”**

Fred sighed.

**“What was she like?” Ginny asked softly.**

**Sirius smiled slightly. “Very kind-hearted girl – never had a bad word to say about anybody. Incredibly ditzy though.”**

_Addie_ chuckled fondly. “She, Leona and Samantha were born to be friends.”

**“I didn’t know Mum had a sister.” Ron commented.**

“It hurts Mum to talk about it.” Fred said sadly. “She’ll talk about Uncle Gideon and Uncle Fabian, because we were named after them, but the only reason I knew about Aunt Madeline was because we found her crying a few days after Ginny was born – Aunt Maddie always wanted a niece to spoil.”

**“In that case, you did not hear it from me.” Sirius said, smiling at Harry, who returned it half-heartedly.**

**“What are you doing here, Sirius?” He asked quietly.**

“Training the Chudley Cannons.” Sirius answered flatly.

**“Fulfilling my duty as godfather.” Sirius answered. “Don’t worry – I’m pretending to be a lovable stray.”**

_Addie_ smirked, but didn’t say anything. **  
**

**“Not sure that’s possible, mate.” James smirked, materialising to lean against the wall.**

**“Not sure that’s possible.” Hermione repeated, earning two sniggers and a fake-insulted look. “He said it, not me.”**

**“Thanks, Prongs.” Sirius tossed over his shoulder, before turning to Harry, sobering up at the anxiety on his face. “I wanted to be on the spot. Things … Well, let’s just say they’ve been getting fishier.**

Hermione chuckled. “How is it that Sirius knows that phrase, but James doesn’t?”

James looked confused. “What?”

Hermione waved the question off. “Later.”

**I’ve been stealing papers every time someone throws one out and, by the looks of it, I’m not the only one that’s noticed.”  
Ron picked up the yellowing _Daily Prophets_ from the floor and unrolled them, holding them so Ginny could see them as well.**

**Harry was still staring at Sirius. “But what if you’re seen?”**

**“You three … four …” Sirius amended “… and Dumbledore are the only people round here who know I’m an Animagus.”**

_Addie_ rested her head on his shoulder. “Just be careful.”

**Hermione saw Ron nudge Harry and hand him the papers, and she moved to read the headlines over his shoulder: _Mystery Illness of Bartemius Crouch_ …**

“Mystery?” David repeated.

**… one read, while the other explained _Ministry Witch Still Missing – Minister of Magic Now Personally Involved._**

Several people sighed at that.

**Harry shuffled the papers to read the story about Crouch, his eyebrows rising into his hair line as he muttered phrases that jumped out at him. “… hasn’t been seen since November … house appears deserted … St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries decline to comment … Ministry refuses to confirm rumours of critical illness …**

“That doesn’t sound good.” Lily frowned.

“No.” James agreed. “But this also the _Daily Prophet_. They could be exaggerating.”

“That all seems to confirm the Imperius theory.” David said.

**They make it sound like he’s dying.” He said finally, looking up. “But he can’t be that ill if he managed to get up here …”**

“That also makes no sense.” Regulus frowned. “It’s more than likely his son … Although what he was doing in Snape’s office, I don’t know.”

**“Probably stress from putting up with Weatherby.” Ginny said dryly. “I know it turns my stomach.”**

Fred sniggered. “Great minds think alike.”

“You just defined Ron as a great mind.” Hermione said dryly.

Fred narrowed his eyes. “You heard nothing.”

**“Our brother’s Crouch’s personal assistant.” Ron explained for Sirius’s benefit, grinning slightly. “He says Crouch is suffering from overwork.”**

**“Mind you …” Harry said slowly. “He did look ill last time I saw him up close. That was Halloween. And if he’s got worse …”**

**“Getting comeuppance for sacking Winky, isn’t he?” Hermione asked edgily …**

“Probably.” Mandy agreed. “But I doubt that’s the reason.”

**… feeding Buckbeak the chicken bones she’d found in the kitchens. “Bet he’s feeling the difference now she’s not there to feed him and wash and iron his clothes and clean his house … Bet he’s wishing he’d never done it.”**

“It’s still a bit dramatic that he _did_ do it.” David murmured.

**Ron rolled his eyes and shot her an exasperated look. “Hermione’s become obsessed with house-elves.”  
But Sirius looked interested. “Crouch sacked his house-elf?”**

**“At the World Cup.” Harry confirmed, and launched into the story of the Dark Mark …**

“That was a fun story.” _Sirius_ muttered. “I’d heard about it, obviously, but I didn’t know you were there.”

**… Hermione adding details here and there.**

**By the time they had finished, Sirius was pacing up and down, apparently deep in thought.**

“Oh, Merlin, help us.” James grinned.

**“Let me get this straight … you saw the elf in the Top Box first, right? She was saving Crouch a seat?”  
“Right.” The four agreed together.**

**“But Crouch never turned up?” Sirius asked.**

David raised an eyebrow. “I never even thought of that.”

“Neither did I.” Regulus admitted. “I was focussing on the Dark Mark.”

**“No.” Harry answered. “I think he said he’d been too busy.”**

**Hermione nodded in confirmation but said nothing, watching Sirius pace around the cave once before coming to a halt. “Harry, did you check your wand after you left the Top Box?”**

Jen groaned. “How did I not think of that? We all assumed that Harry lost his wand in the woods when they were running, but what if he lost it in the Top Box?”

“Winky didn’t steal that wand.” Lily said certainly.

“Of course not.” Jen agreed. “But that doesn’t mean that no one else did.”

**“Erm …” Harry frowned in thought, then shook his head. “No. No, I didn’t need to use it until we got into the woods. And then all I could find were my Omnioculars. Are you saying that someone in the Top Box stole my wand?”  
In hindsight, it made sense. There was no way Harry would just ‘lose’ his wand.**

“Damn right there isn’t.” Harry muttered.

**It made much more sense that someone stole it from his pocket, and the Top Box was the only real opportunity – Harry’s jeans may have once belonged to Dudley, but there was no way someone took his wand from his back pocket without him noticing.**

Harry nodded in agreement.

**However …**

**“Winky didn’t steal that wand!” Hermione protested.**

**“There were other people there.” Sirius reminded her. “Who was sitting behind you?”**

**“Loads of people.” Harry answered. “Some Bulgarian Ministers …”**

“Unlikely.” Jen disagreed.

**“And I got the impression they were firmly against You-Know-Who,” Hermione put in, “judging by the way they reacted to you.”**

**“… Cornelius Fudge …” Harry continued.**

“No way.” Fred stated. “He’s a bigot, but he’s too much of a politician to risk doing anything about it.”

**Ginny snorted. “I doubt he’s got the brains to conjure a regular snake, let alone the Dark Mark.**

“That too.” Fred conceded with a smirk.

**Besides, he might be an idiot and in Malfoy’s pocket, but he’s not dark.”**

**“… the Malfoys …”  
“The Malfoys!” Ron interrupted. “I bet it was Lucius Malfoy!”**

“No.” Regulus shook his head. “He’ll go crawling back if the Dark Lord returns, but he’s not got the guts to act on it beforehand.”

**“No, definitely not.”**

**Hermione jumped, startled by the new voice. “Bloody hell, Lily, don’t _do_ that!”**

Hermione blushed slightly. “I wasn’t expecting her.”

**“Sorry.” Lily said, smiling sheepishly.**

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “Were you keeping an eye on them then?”**

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” Arabella commented.

**James snorted. “Absolutely. Do you really think I’d let that son of a …?”**

“James!” Lily protested.

“I haven’t done anything yet!” James cried. “Besides, Harry can’t hear me.” **  
**

**“JAMES!”**

Jen sniggered. “Some things never change.”

**“Harry can’t hear me!” James protested.**

“Exactly my point!” James agreed, pointing at the book.

**“But Hermione can!”**

“Exactly _my_ point.” Lily said smugly, seeing James look sheepish.

**Hermione winced. “Could you hear that?”**

Jen chuckled. “They’re predictable – I doubt he needed to.”

**Sirius chuckled. “No, but I can probably guess what happened – James cursed and Lily yelled at him for it.”**

**Hermione grinned. “It was more of a pre-emptive strike, but close enough. They were keeping a very close eye on Lucius Malfoy. He didn’t do it.”  
Ron looked almost disappointed …**

Ginny rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

**… but Sirius just nodded. “I would have been surprised if he did. He went to a lot of trouble to keep himself out of Azkaban – running around in a crowd causing mayhem was fine, but he wouldn’t do anything more than that. Not without Voldemort to hide behind.**

Regulus nodded in agreement.

**Was there anyone else in the Top Box?”**

**“No.” Harry answered. “Just us and the Weasleys.”**

**“And Ludo Bagman.” Hermione reminded him.**

Sirius grimaced. “I’ll admit he’s a bit suspicious, but I can’t see him being a Death Eater.”

No one dared mention Peter.

**“Hermione,” Lily cut in, her voice pained. “Could you _please_ ask my son to do something about his hair? It looks like he’s been through a hedge backwards!”**

Jen turned to stare incredulously at Lily. “Really?”

Lily shrugged, blushing. “I haven’t said it yet. But future me has a point, dear.”

“It’s not my fault, Mum.” Harry insisted. “My hair just grows like this.”

**Hermione gaped at her. “Are you kidding me?” She sighed, turning to Harry. “Your mother would like to request that you do something about your hair because, and I quote, ‘it looks like he’s been through a hedge backwards’.”**

**“It’s not my fault!” Harry protested, throwing his hands in the air. “It _grows_ like this!”**

**“That’s what I keep telling her, son, but she’s bloody persistent.” James grinned, ignoring his wife’s eye-roll. “Besides, chicks love the windswept look.”**

“Oh, don’t get him into that habit!” Lily groaned.

“What habit?” Harry asked.

 _Addie_ chuckled. “James went through a stage where he insisted on messing his hair up so it looked like he just got off his broom. I often had to hold Lily back to keep her from attacking him with a comb.”

**“Your father agrees with you.” Hermione said wearily. “Can we get back to the _slightly_ more pressing issue now?”**

**Sirius quickly wiped the smirk off his face.**

“Reminded you of Lily?” _Addie_ asked softly.

 _Sirius_ shook his head. “You, actually. You know that look you give me when I start getting off topic and it’s annoying you?”

 _Addie_ smiled, but said nothing, not trusting her voice. She knew it didn’t mean anything, Hermione having that small trait in common with her, but she was _Sirius_ ’s daughter and it made her feel … something.

**“I don’t know anything about Bagman, except that he used to be a Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps. What’s he like?”**

**“He’s alright.” Harry answered with a shrug. “Keeps offering to help me with the Tournament.”  
“Does he now?” Sirius frowned.**

“Good to know you didn’t lose your instincts.” Jen remarked.

**“I wonder why he’d do that.”**

**“He says he’s taken a liking to me.” Harry offered.**

**Seeing Sirius looking pensive, and remembering Rita Skeeter’s comment (though she was loathed to believe the woman) that she knew things about Bagman that could ‘make her hair curl’ …**

“I wonder what she’s talking about.” Regulus remarked.

 _Sirius_ shook his head. “No idea. I don’t remember any scandal – although I suppose that could have happened after I was arrested. Ads?”

 _Addie_ shrugged. “Pass. But I’ve got no knowledge of the outside world either after a certain point.”

**… Hermione reminded the boys that they’d seen him in the forest, just before the Mark was fired.**

**Ron and Harry looked sceptical, but Sirius admitted she had a point and then asked again about Winky.**

**Hermione sniffed, still sore over the whole thing. “He sacked her – just because she hadn’t stayed in her tent and been trampled to death!”**

“Didn’t surprise me.” _Sirius_ muttered.

**Ron groaned. “Hermione, would you give it a rest with the elf?!”**

**“No, she’s got the measure of Crouch better than you have.” Sirius told him, not unkindly. “If you want to know what a man’s really like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”**

Regulus raised an eyebrow. “Philosophical.”

 _Sirius_ shrugged. “I try.”

“What about Kreacher?” Regulus asked, plain curiosity in his voice. “Bit hypocritical, isn’t it?”

“I treat house-elves as I would people.” _Sirius_ answered, a trifle coldly. “If Kreacher was human, I would treat him in the exact same way, because he has helped make my life hell since I was a child.”

Addie kept reading hastily.

**He ran a hand through his hair distractedly. “All these absences of Barty Crouch … doesn’t bother to watch the World Cup … goes to a lot of trouble to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops attending … if he’s even taken so much as an hour of work before this because of illness, I’ll eat Buckbeak.”**

“You really don’t like Crouch, do you?” James remarked. “Why?”

 _Sirius_ scowled. “You’re about to find out.” **  
**

**The hippogriff squawked, and Sirius patted his neck absently. “No offence, Beaky.”**

**“Do you know Crouch then?” Harry asked.**

“Pay attention, Harry.” Ginny teased, trying to lighten the mood.

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “Of course he does. I told you at the World Cup, Harry – Sirius used to be an auror, remember? And Crouch was Head of Magical Law Enforcement.”  
Ron gaped at her. “Is there anything you _don’t_ know?”**

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I don’t know how to get him to shut up.”

Harry smiled weakly. “He’s been getting better, Mione.”

**“Correct as always, Hermione.” Sirius said, smiling humourlessly. “But that’s not why he sticks in my mind.**

Addie’s face drained of colour as she read the next sentence, and she let out a strangled gasp.

“What?” Lily asked urgently.

Addie shook her head wordlessly, looking over at _Sirius_ and _Addie_ for confirmation. When they nodded, she dropped the book and hugged Sirius tightly, burying her face in his chest.

Sirius stroked her hair comfortingly, looking bewildered. “What brought this on? What did Crouch do?”

Hermione picked up the book from the floor and read the next sentence, her voice flat.

**He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban … without trial.”**

It was Sirius’s turn to lose colour, and he closed his eyes, holding Addie close.

“Someone tell me,” David said quietly, “that you are exaggerating, and that the trial was simply so biased that you may as well not have had one.”

“Nope.” _Sirius_ said darkly. “Why bother giving me a trial? I was so obviously guilty.”

“Sirius,” _Addie_ murmured, nodding to Jen, who was sobbing into Remus’s shoulder. “Don’t.”

“They can’t do that!” Regulus protested. “Everyone deserves a trial!”

“They did.” _Sirius_ shrugged. “Not much we can do about it now.”

Addie pulled away, but only a little. She took the book back from Hermione, clearing her throat and reading in a shaky voice.

**Hermione tried to speak, but the only thing that escaped was a sort of strangled squeak. She guessed that the whole conviction had been rigged … had been dirty … but she had never even considered the possibility that there hadn’t even been one.**

“Neither did I.” David muttered, looking livid.

**Ron looked horrified. “But … But … But that’s illegal! They can’t keep anyone in Azkaban for more than a _month_ without trial!”**

“No, they can’t.” Regulus agreed furiously.

**Sirius shrugged. “Apparently murdering scum like me don’t deserve trials.”**

_Addie_ closed her eyes, sinking into _Sirius_ ’s embrace. **  
**

**Hermione hugged him before Harry could, burying her face in his robes to hide her tears. He wrapped an arm around her, stroking her hair soothingly.**

**“But he would have been your boss!” Ginny protested. “Surely he would have known …”  
“Crouch never liked me.**

“That’s no excuse.” James said coldly. He had been stunned into silence by the confession, but he was slowly getting over it.

**And he didn’t care.” Sirius said bitterly. “He just wanted to put as many Death Eaters away as possible, and if a couple of innocents got caught in the net, it was their fault for getting in the way.”**

“That is no way to run a department!” James protested. “Especially not Law Enforcement – they’re meant to uphold the law, not create new ones!”

**“But why didn’t anyone _care_?!” Hermione demanded.**

**“Because everyone was scared.” Sirius answered gently. “My family … Well, they’re not the nicest people in the world. I don’t blame anyone for doubting me.”**

“That’s not the point.” Jen managed to say through tears.

**“Whether they thought you were guilty or not, Sirius, other people got a trial.” Ginny said heatedly. “Hell, _Malfoy_ got a trial, however corrupt it was.”**

“It’s not fair.” Lily whispered.

**“It was a dark time!” Sirius explained. “Measures were taken everywhere that shouldn’t have been …” He sighed. “You’re too young … you wouldn’t understand …”**

“Low blow.” Remus said, trying to inject some humour into the situation. It didn’t work.

**Ron made an annoyed noise in his throat. “That’s all anyone seems to say to us! Try us, why don’t you?!”**

Jen managed a small smile. “He’ll tell them.”

**A ghost of a smile flickered on Sirius’s face and he sat down on one of the boulders, letting Hermione tuck herself under his arm. “Alright, I’ll try you.**

“Just be careful.” David cautioned. “They’re only fourteen/fifteen. Ginny’s only thirteen.”

“And they needed to know.” _Sirius_ responded.

**Imagine a world where Voldemort is at full power.**

Everyone from the past shuddered, not needing to imagine.

**You don’t know who to trust, who to believe. You don’t know who works for him, who supports him, or who supports you. Every day, you hear more news of death, disappearances … you have to deal with the relief that it’s not someone you know, the guilt for feeling so relieved, and the fear that tomorrow it might be your parents, your siblings, your friends, your children … people you care about, people you love …”**

The room was silent and Addie’s voice trembled with every word. Sirius pressed a kiss to her head and held her tightly, silently coaxing her through it.

**His voice shook on the last word, and Harry sat down on his other side, as Ron and Ginny sank on to the floor, listening attentively.**

**"Times like that bring out the worst in some people, and the best in others.” Sirius grimaced. “Barty Crouch rose to the top very quickly. People were scared; they wanted someone who would fight back against the Death Eaters in a way that would actually _stop_ them. Crouch was always very outspoken against the dark side, and dark magic in general.”**

Jen smiled weakly. “Hey, you’re finally differentiating.”

**“Isn’t that the same thing?” Ron asked.**

**“Not … exactly.” Sirius answered slowly. “There is … The Ministry has a list of spells that they consider dark magic, but there’s dark magic out there that the Ministry pretends doesn’t exist, because it’s _so_ dark that they don’t want to think about it. The dark magic they consider dark is more grey than anything.”**

“I’d been around Jen too much.” _Sirius_ quipped, but it didn’t sound like a joke.

**“But Crouch didn’t agree with this ‘grey’ magic?” Hermione asked.**

**Sirius shook his head. “No, not at all. There were some aurors that felt he was a bit of a hypocrite in that respect. He started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemort’s supporters; the aurors were given the power to kill, rather than capture, and several of us were authorised to use the Unforgivables against suspects.”**

“What?” David asked.

“Not all of us.” _Sirius_ said. “Just some of us. I wasn’t one of them. Neither was Jen.” He smirked bitterly. “Crouch seemed to think it would be ‘tempting’.”

**“But the Unforgivables are dark, aren’t they?” Ginny frowned.**

**Hermione sighed. “No, they’re Unforgivable. Technically, they’re not considered dark.”**

**Sirius nodded in agreement. “That’s why we felt he was hypocritical. An auror using the Killing Curse and bringing in a dead Death Eater was fine, but an auror using grey magic to incapacitate a Death Eater and bring them in alive, he didn’t like.”**

Jen rolled her eyes. “That’s what you said earlier.”

**“That’s stupid.” Ron said frankly.**

Fred chuckled. “Don’t hold back, Ron – tell us how you really feel.”

**Sirius grinned. “Yeah, it is. I agreed with the kill not capture part, but the Unforgivables were crossing the line as far as I was concerned. But Crouch was very popular in the Ministry – a lot of people felt he had the right idea. And a lot of people were calling for him to become Minister after Millicent Bagnold retired.”**

“They’re doing that now.” David frowned. “I suppose we’re about to find out why he isn’t.”

**“So why didn’t he?” Ginny asked blankly. “How come we got Fudge instead?”**

Addie raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to like this, Alice.”

“Why not?” Alice asked.

**Sirius smiled grimly. “Crouch’s son was caught with a group of Death Eaters …**

“What?” Alice whispered.

**… who’d somehow managed to avoid Azkaban. Apparently they were trying to find Voldemort and restore him to power.”**

“No way.” Alice stated, shaking her head. “Junior? A Death Eater? They must be out of their minds.”

Neville flinched, but didn’t say anything.

**“His _son_ was caught?!” Hermione repeated, sitting up in shock. “Did … Did Crouch try to get him off?”**

“He must have done.” David murmured. “I mean, my first thought if James wound up in that situation would be that it was some awful mistake.”

“Of course it would.” _Sirius_ agreed. “But then you’re not Barty Crouch, are you?”

**Sirius chuckled affectionately. “Go back to your original opinion of Crouch, Hermione, and tell me if he seems like that kind of man.”**

**Hermione frowned. “No. But surely no one would want there child in … _there_ , no matter what they’d done!”**

“Not unless they were completely heartless.” _Sirius_ muttered, glancing at Harry and Hermione.

**Sirius shook his head. “Anything that tarnished his reputation had to go – you saw how he treated Winky because she connected him even faintly with the dark arts again. Crouch’s fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial – by all accounts, it was nothing more than an excuse to show the world just how much he hated the boy.**

“It was.” Harry muttered.

“How do you know that, Harry?” Lily asked curiously.

Harry smiled weakly. “You’ll find out, Mum.”

**And then he sent him straight to Azkaban.”**

David shook his head in disgust. “Unbelievable.”

**“He gave his own son to the Dementors?” Harry asked quietly.**

**“I couldn’t believe it.” Sirius admitted. “I just … I couldn’t believe it.”**

**“What if I ended up doing something like that?” Harry asked. “Or …”**

**Hermione caught his eye and shook her head. She would tell Ron and Ginny later, but they didn’t have time for the conversation to get side-tracked.**

“Sorry.” She said to Ginny.

Ginny smiled at her. “Don’t worry – I understand. You did tell us.”

**“Or worse?” Harry finished.**

**“Harry, I’d be furious.” Sirius said honestly. “But you’d still be my godson. And I’d still love you. And no matter _what_ you did, I’d _never_ want you near those … things.”**

“Wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.” _Sirius_ muttered.

**“But Crouch just disowned …” Hermione paused. “What was his son’s name?”**

**“Barty.” Sirius answered. “Everyone just called him Junior. He was a Hufflepuff a few years below us.”**

“So …” James said slowly. “Junior could have put Harry’s name in the Goblet.”

“He’s in Azkaban, James.” Jen reminded him. “That’s not possible. We know there were no other breakouts – otherwise, Sirius wouldn’t have been such a shock.”

“He might not still be there.” Alice pointed out fairly. “Maybe the reason everyone hates Crouch is because new evidence found Junior innocent.”

**“A Hufflepuff Death Eater?” Ron asked. “That’s a new one.”**

“Well, Death Eaters are known for their loyalty.” Jen said fairly.

**“Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty, Ron.” Hermione said softly. “And he must’ve had that in spades – most of the Death Eaters just pretended they didn’t know You-Know-Who after they disappeared. So Crouch just disowned him?”**

“Who does that remind me of?” Sirius muttered sarcastically.

**“Yeah.” Sirius stared at the wall. “I watched them bringing him in, watched them through the bars. He can’t have been more than nineteen … this pale wisp of a kid … He ended up in a cell near mine, was screaming for his mother by nightfall.**

Alice made a soft noise in the back of her throat, looking conflicted.

**He went quiet after a few days … they all did in the end …**

Addie’s voice faltered slightly.

**… except when they screamed in their sleep …”**

Jen choked back another sob and Remus rubbed her arm soothingly.

**Hermione could almost see the shutters fall, as the light in his eyes flickered and dimmed.**

Addie paused and moved to sit on Sirius’s lap, laying her head on his shoulder.

**This time, she and Harry moved at the same time, wrapping their arms around him, trying to bring him back to the present.**

_Addie_ closed her eyes, wishing with all her heart that he hadn’t had to go through this.

**“So he’s still in Azkaban?” Ron asked awkwardly.**

**“No.” Sirius answered, his voice dull. “He died about a year after they brought him in.”**

James raised an eyebrow. “Guess it’s not him they’re seeing on the Map then.”

“James!” Alice protested. “That is someone we go to school with!”

“And a Death Eater, Ally.” James reminded her, probably more gently than he would anyone else.

“No.” Alice said stubbornly. “There must be another explanation …”

“There isn’t.” Neville interrupted, staring at the floor.

Alice frowned. “What do you mean?”

“There isn’t another explanation.” Neville repeated, finally meeting her eyes. “He was caught with the Lestranges, Mum. He helped torture you and Dad.”

Alice seemed to deflate, staring at her son in horror. “No … No, he can’t have done …”

“I’m sorry, Mum.” Neville whispered.

Alice let out a sob and enveloped him in a hug, rocking them both slowly.

**“He died?” Ginny asked, before she could stop herself.**

**“He wasn’t the only one.” Sirius whispered. “Most people go mad in there … plenty stop eating in the end … lose the will to live …**

“Oh Merlin …” _Addie_ muttered, jumping to her feet. “Hold on.” She grabbed _Sirius_ ’s hand, pulled him to his feet, and dragged him into the other room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, she jumped into his arms, kissing him deeply. When she broke the kiss with a sob, he pulled her closer, tucking her against his chest.

“Ads?”

“I just hate the thought of you in that damn place!” She whispered, almost shaking with tears. “It’s not _fair_!”

“I know.” He murmured into her hair. “I know, baby.”

 _Addie_ lifted her tear-strained face to his. “You are not allowed to die on me, understand?”

 _Sirius_ smiled weakly. “I’ll do my best, beautiful. You know I will.”

 _Addie_ didn’t look reassured, but she didn’t push for a promise. “You didn’t, right? Lose it, I mean.”

She didn’t elaborate further, but he didn’t need her to.

“Not … Not really.” _Sirius_ sighed. “There were days, Ads … when I didn’t think I could go on. If I died … I’d at least see your face again.” He touched her cheek with a trembling finger. “I lost you in there.”

“I knew I didn’t want to know.” _Addie_ muttered, pulling his face down to hers again. She pressed a brief, hard kiss to his lips, and gave him a stern look. “I love you, Sirius Black. And don’t you forget it.”

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “As if you’d let me.” He kissed her slowly, still relishing in the ability to do so again. “I love you so much, Shadow.”

“I know you do, Padfoot.” _Addie_ kissed him once more, before they left the room and rejoined the other readers.

No one asked what they’d talked about, and Addie, still very pale, found her place again.

**You could always tell when a death was coming – the atmosphere would change.**

Everyone shivered, but _Sirius_ shook his head. “Not necessarily for the worst. The Dementors got excited, yes – they could sense it, but they also spent as much time around that person as was possible. Therefore the rest of us …” he pulled a face at having to include himself in a group of people he hated “… got a reprieve. Unless, of course, you were Bellatrix, who was in the next cell along.”

“What a shame.” _Addie_ said dryly.

**Besides, the boy looked pretty sick when he arrived. Crouch and his wife were allowed a death-bed visit – he had to practically carry her out. I think she died as well, actually, not long afterwards.**

“Poor woman.” Lily whispered.

**Broken heart probably. And after they died, people started to feel a bit more sympathetic, started wondering how a kid from such a good family had gone astray like that.”**

“And they blamed Crouch.” Alice frowned. “I’m not sure if that’s fair.”

“Yeah, it is.” _Sirius_ sighed. “He wanted his father’s attention and that was only ever on Death Eaters.”

**“And they all blamed Crouch.” Hermione concluded.**

**“More or less.” Sirius agreed, sounding more animated. “Crouch lost it all, when he nearly had everything; got shunted sideways into International Magical Co-Operation while Fudge got the Minister post.**

“Fudge must be _really_ good at playing politics.” James muttered.

“Or a very good actor.” _Sirius_ agreed. “Not all politicians are idiots. You were _very_ good at playing the game.”

“He was?” David asked proudly.

“I was?” James asked sceptically.

 _Sirius_ nodded with a chuckle. “James could stand in the Wizengamot, and talk his way around a subject that had the entire room divided, and by the time he’d finished, everyone not only agreed with him, but thought it was their idea to begin with.” He paused. “Only time I’ve ever been tempted to say he belonged in Slytherin.”

James gaped at him, but David laughed. “He gets that from his mother.”

**Merlin knows how he managed that though – last time I saw him, he was a desk clerk for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad.”**

**“But Fudge didn’t help your cause either, did he?” Harry asked, then frowned. “For that matter, neither did Dumbledore.**

“Are you going to tell them?” Lily asked.

Hermione shook her head. “I still hadn’t when we arrived here. I still don’t know what Dumbledore’s up to and …”

Harry squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, Hermione.”

 _Sirius_ nodded in agreement. “This isn’t something we can afford to jump into. As much as I hate to admit it, that’s exactly what I’d have done if you’d told me earlier.”

**Arabella wrote me this summer and explained that she told the Ministry that you’d changed Secret Keeper, but they insisted she’d been Confunded. Fudge threatened to arrest her in the end as well.”**

“Charming.” Arabella sniffed.

Sirius smiled weakly. “Thanks for trying, Ara.” **  
**

**“Charming.” Ron snorted.**

**“Remus wasn’t even in the country when we changed.” Lily said softly. “You can understand that.”**

**“Was Mandy in the country?” Hermione asked.**

**“Yes.” Sirius and James answered in unison.**

“I thought I was in Albania.” Mandy frowned.

“You were by Halloween.” _Sirius_ told her. “You left about two days after we changed.”

**Hermione looked at Sirius. “You can’t even see him; how the hell did you _do_ that?!”**

James smirked. “Absence can’t defeat the Marauders.”

**Sirius smirked. “Great minds think alike.**

“That too.” James agreed.

**Mandy was in the country when we changed – she left for Albania two days later.”**

**“Didn’t she notice a difference?” Hermione asked. “I mean, Remus was abroad – he had an excuse.”**

**“Mandy didn’t visit James and Lily in those two days.” Sirius said gently. “Aside from anything else, she was dating Peter at the time.”**

Mandy dropped her gaze to her feet, and Arabella put a hand on her arm, looking intently at the book.

**“What?” Ron asked incredulously. “You’re kidding!”**

“He sounds more shocked than we were.” Remus commented.

“Well, you heard what Wormtail was like in the Shack.” Harry shrugged. “Mandy’s out of his league.”

“Way out.” Fred agreed, as Mandy turned slightly pink.

**Sirius chuckled. “I know, we were all stunned. I don’t even know _when_ they started dating – some point after graduation presumably.**

“You don’t know?” Lily asked curiously.

 _Sirius_ shook his head. “I never asked, he never told. Ads?”

 _Addie_ shrugged. “Lily didn’t say anything to me. When did you find out?”

“Summer, not long before Harry was born.” _Sirius_ answered. “We all went to the beach and Remus and Peter volunteered to go and get ice creams. He kissed her, we all went into shock, and Arabella sat there laughing at us, because, of course, she already knew.”

“So it was that summer then?” Jen asked, glancing at Mandy.

 _Sirius_ followed her gaze. “I don’t think so. They were too comfortable together for it to have been a new thing.”

**One of the reasons I didn’t think twice about us changing Secret Keeper was because he seemed to adore her – forget James and Lily, I would never have dreamed that he’d hurt her like that.”**

Mandy closed her eyes and Arabella slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Apparently, you were wrong.”

“No.” _Sirius_ said, frowning. “Whatever else Peter is or was or did, he did love Mandy. No one’s that good an actor.”

**“That poor girl.” Hermione murmured, remembering the pain that seemed to be floating around Mandy when they’d met her at the World Cup. Suddenly, it made a lot more sense.**

**“I don’t blame her in the slightest.” Sirius said firmly.**

“Thank you.” Mandy whispered, looking up with red eyes.

Sirius left Addie’s side, and engulfed her in a hug. “It’s not your fault. Any of you.” He added, glancing at Arabella and Remus.

**“It makes sense that she’d rather believe him a martyr than a traitor.” He cleared his throat and attempted a smile. “But it’s good to know Ara believed in me.”  
“Oh, the mass-murder thing, she wasn’t so sure about.” Harry admitted. “She thought you’d killed Peter and overcharged the spell.”**

Arabella winced. “Sorry.”

**Sirius rolled his eyes. “Lovely.”**

**Harry smiled slightly, before reverting to the original subject. “Moody says Crouch is obsessed with catching dark wizards.”**

“Good, change the subject.” Mandy muttered. **  
**

**“Yeah, I’ve heard he’s become a bit manic about it.” Sirius frowned. “If you ask me, Crouch reckons that catching one more Death Eater will bring back his popularity.”**

**“And he sneaked up here to search Snape’s office!” Ron finished, throwing a triumphant look at Hermione.**

“And that still doesn’t make sense.” Regulus muttered. “None of this makes sense. It can’t be Junior if he’s dead, and if Senior’s under the Imperius and fighting it, why would they risk bringing him to the school?”

No one had an answer for him.

**“No, that doesn’t make sense at all.” Sirius told him.**

**Ron seemed to deflate. “Why not?”  
“Why would Crouch sneak up here to search Snape’s office, when he could just as easily keep an eye on him without looking suspicious by continuing to judge the Tournament?” Hermione asked practically, earning an approving smile from Sirius. “Besides, Ron, Dumbledore trusts Snape …”**

Hermione rolled her eyes at herself. **  
**

**Ron cut her off. “Oh, come _on_ , Hermione! I know Dumbledore’s brilliant and everything, but that doesn’t mean a really clever dark wizard couldn’t fool him! Remember first year?”**

**Hermione did remember first year, but the more she thought about it, the less certain she felt that Dumbledore hadn’t known that Voldemort was in the school.**

“Well, you know my theory.” Jen said darkly.

**Noticing Sirius’s perplexed expression, she hastily swerved away from Quirrell, unwilling to go into life-threatening adventures just yet.**

“Thanks for that.” _Sirius_ grumbled good-naturedly.

“We didn’t have the time.” Hermione pointed out practically.

**“Yes, I do – Snape saved Harry’s life! Why would he …?”  
“Maybe he thought Dumbledore would kick him out if he didn’t.” Ron suggested.**

“They’ve both got a point.” Jen sighed.

**“What do you think, Sirius?” Harry asked loudly, causing the bickering pair to fall silent.**

**Sirius looked thoughtful. “Honestly, I think they’ve both got a point.**

Sirius and Jen sniggered, exchanging a high-five.

**I was at school with Snape, as you may have guessed – he was in our year. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired git, he was …**

“Sirius,” Addie chided, as Fred and James roared with laughter, “be nice.”

“Future-me didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.” Sirius smirked.

**… not as bad as some Slytherins …**

“Padfoot!” James whined, sounding betrayed.

But Sirius shook his head. “No, I’m with future-me. You can hardly compare Snape with Bellatrix.”

James frowned. “No, you can’t.” He admitted. “But Snape’s just as bad as some of them, just in different ways.”

**… he definitely made comments based on blood purity, but almost as a last resort; he didn’t seem to really believe it – but he was worse in some respects.**

James smiled sheepishly. “Oh. Okay then.”

**Most people took no notice of Remus’s monthly disappearances, or that he looked so ill, but Snape did – he would actually seek Moony out.**

“Git.” Jen said darkly.

**Lily used to call it ‘kicking a man when he was down’.”**

“Because it was.” Lily muttered.

**“That’s because that’s what it was.” Lily scowled. “That was the reason James and Sirius pranked him so much.”**

“That … and he’s a git.” James said easily, dodging Lily’s smack.

**“Snape knew more curses arriving at Hogwarts than most people did finishing it.”**

“Like you didn’t.” Jen said, rolling her eyes. “You and I knew just as many, if not more.”

Sirius scowled. “Difference is, Jen, we didn’t choose to learn them.”

**Sirius continued. “And he was part of a group of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters.”**

“Well, that’s hardly a surprise.” James sighed. “We knew about Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers, and Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were obvious. So that’s Mulciber, Avery, and Rosier. If you’d said that someone like Emmeline Vance joined the Death Eaters, then I’d be surprised.”

“Emmeline was a Slytherin?” Fred and Ginny asked in unison.

“Suddenly, her affinity for the colour green makes a lot more sense.” Fred added.

“How do you know her?” James asked. “I only know her because she’s a prefect – keeps to herself most of the time.”

“She’s in the Order.” _Sirius_ answered. “Works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement … somewhere.”

**There was a sudden surge of emotion – somewhere between betrayal and hatred – that Hermione couldn’t quite place nor, she decided, did she want to.**

Everyone looked at _Sirius_ , who looked thoughtful. “Could be to do with Bellatrix,” he said slowly, “although ‘betrayal’ doesn’t seem right – I never thought anything different. I think I might have been including Regulus in that group, so it might be him.”

**“As far as I know, Snape was never even accused of being a Death Eater …**

“He was.” Harry whispered in Hermione’s ear. “And Dumbledore vouched for him.”

**… but that doesn’t mean much. Plenty of them were never caught.” Sirius scowled. “And, as much as I hate to admit it, Snape’s clever enough and cunning enough to keep himself out of trouble.”**

James gasped, clutching at his chest, and fell off the sofa in an over-dramatic fashion. “Padfoot, how could you?!”

Alice sighed, rolling her eyes. “What now, Jamie?”

“Moony!” James cried. “Enlighten them!”

Remus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Marauder Code, point five, subsection B: No Marauder shall offer a compliment to one Severus “Snivellus” Snape, even indirectly.”

“I wasn’t counting it as a compliment.” _Sirius_ said tiredly. “And I don’t recall this reaction when Remus broke point two: No Marauder shall join ‘the enemy’, otherwise known as the teaching staff of Hogwarts.”

James waved him off from where he was lying on the floor. “Moony’s Moony. I expected better of you.” **  
**

**“Well, Snape knows Karkaroff pretty well.” Ron said darkly. “And he seems pretty intent on keeping that quiet.”**

“I don’t blame him.” Regulus muttered.

**Harry nodded in agreement. “Karkaroff came into Potions yesterday,” he explained for Sirius’s benefit, “said that Snape was avoiding him. I hung around afterwards to eavesdrop.”**

“Marauder.” The girls chorused.

**Sirius chuckled. “That’s my boy! What did he say?”**

**“Well, I couldn’t really hear.” Harry frowned. “But Karkaroff seemed really worried. He showed Snape something on his arm, but I couldn’t see what.**

“Dark Mark.” Regulus concluded.

**Karkaroff said it was getting clearer and that it hadn’t been this clear since something else, but Snape cut him off and kicked me out.”**

Jen closed her eyes. “As if we needed any more proof that Voldemort’s getting stronger.”

**“Something on his arm.” Sirius repeated, running a hand through his hair. He looked bewildered …**

“Sirius, you _know_ about the Dark Mark, what are you playing at?” Jen asked.

 _Sirius_ sighed. “I didn’t want to worry them – Harry had the third task coming, the others had exams.”

**… but Hermione didn’t miss the flash of panic that crossed his face, nor the sense of almost fear that rose in the air.**

_Sirius_ rolled his eyes fondly. “Apparently, I have to work harder.”

**“Well, I’ve no idea what that could have been … but if Karkaroff’s worried and he’s looking to Snape for help …” He grimaced and sighed. “There’s still the fact that Dumbledore trusts Snape – and I know Dumbledore trusts where a lot of people wouldn’t, but I just can’t see him letting Snape _teach_ if he ever worked for Voldemort.”**

Harry let out an almost silent snort, and Hermione nudged him gently.

**“So why do Moody and Crouch want to search his office then?” Ron questioned.**

**Sirius frowned. “Well, I wouldn’t put it past Moody to have searched every teacher’s office; very paranoid that man.”**

Addie chuckled. “That’s three of you who have said that now.”

**Harry chuckled. “That exactly what Hermione said.”**

**Sirius smirked. “That’s my girl! It’s understandable Moody’s like he is though – after everything he’s seen. James and I were halfway there after just a few years.**

_Sirius_ grimaced. “It does a number on you. Jen was never that bad – but then she could hear someone drawing a wand thirty feet behind her in the middle of a crowd, so she never really had to be.”

**I think Harry was the only one who could make a sudden noise around James and not end up at wand-point.**

James turned slightly red. “Really?”

 _Sirius_ nodded, grinning slightly. “Got me and Lily a few times.”

David clapped his son on the back. “Don’t worry, son. Happened with me and Emily more times than I care to remember.”

**I’ll say this for Moody though – never used Unforgivables if he could help it.**

David frowned. “I still don’t like that he demonstrated them in front of aurors

“Maybe Moody doesn’t count that as ‘using them’.” Remus suggested. “They were only spiders, after all.” He didn’t sound too convinced though, and everyone looked worried.

**Crouch … Crouch is different. You said your brother’s his personal assistant?” He asked Ron. “Any chance you could ask him if he’s seen Crouch recently?**

“Just don’t make it sound like he’s up to something.” Jen warned. “Something tells me that Percy won’t take kindly to that.”

**You could ask him about Bertha Jorkins while you’re at it.” He picked up the other paper, frowning at it. “I was at school with her as well. Didn’t know her too well, but I won’t deny I’m getting worried.”**

_Addie_ couldn’t help smiling up at him – she knew that what he did know of Bertha he didn’t particularly like, yet he was worrying anyway. **  
**

**“I’ll try.” Ron promised. “But it won’t be easy. Percy thinks the sun shines out of Crouch’s …”**

**“What’s the time?” Ginny interrupted, much to Hermione’s relief.**

**Harry checked his watch, more out of habit than anything. “Do you know, Hermione? Mine hasn’t worked since Tuesday.”**

Fred rolled his eyes. “Believe it or not, watches do tend to stop working when you submerge them in water.”

**“That might have something to do with jumping into a lake, Harry.” Hermione reminded him, checking her own. “Three-thirty.**

Lily winced. “Get going, or you’ll have to explain where you’ve been.”

**We need to get going.”  
Sirius stood up with them. “Listen, I don’t want you sneaking out.”**

“Hypocrite.” _Addie_ said, only half-jokingly. “Although we, at least, had no one trying to kill us.”

**His words were directed at Harry, though his eyes flickered to Hermione as well. “Just send notes – I still want to know what’s going on. But you are not to leave Hogwarts without permission – it’s a lot easier for someone to attack you.”**

James and Lily were nodding in agreement.

**“No one’s tried to attack me yet … except for a dragon and a couple of Grindylows.” Harry protested.**

“That’s not the point, Harry.” Lily said softly.

**Sirius scowled. “I don’t care. I’ll be damned if I’m going to lose you too.**

_Addie_ rested her head on his shoulder.

**Understand?”**

**Harry nodded, the slightly rebellious look on his face softening, and Sirius pulled him into a fierce hug, pressing a kiss to his messy hair.**

**“We’d better go.” Ginny said reluctantly.**

“I didn’t want to interrupt.” Ginny admitted.

**“It was nice meeting you.”**

**“Likewise.” Sirius nodded to her.**

**“You three go ahead.” Hermione told them. “I want a quick word.”**

“Going to confront him over the Dark Mark?” Jen guessed, getting a nod.

**She waited until Ron, Harry and Ginny were out of earshot, before letting her smile fall and allowing the worry to cloud her expression. “You know what Karkaroff showed Snape. What aren’t you telling us?”**

“Blunt.” Arabella commented. “Best way to do it.”

**Sirius sighed. “Death Eaters have the Dark Mark branded on their left forearm. They use it to identify one another and communicate with Voldemort.”**

**“I wondered how he called them.” Hermione murmured. “Something told me that sending out thirty-odd owls to organise an attack was somewhat impractical.”**

Regulus chuckled. “Impractical, and gives people a chance to interrupt it.”

**Sirius snorted. “Just a bit, yeah. If the Mark’s getting clearer, it means Voldemort’s getting stronger. Pair that with Harry’s dream … I’d bet anything that the last time it was that clear was when Voldemort was in power.” He put a hand on Hermione’s shoulder. “I want you to promise me something …”**

“Stay in school and don’t do anything stupid.” Jen finished. **  
**

**“I’ll keep an eye on him.” Hermione said softly.**

_Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t just Harry I was worried about, Kitten.”

**“Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.” She smiled weakly. “I’ve been doing it for years.”**

**Sirius sighed. “I want you to promise me that you’ll _both_ take care of yourselves. Watch your backs, don’t trust blindly …**

Hermione sighed – she had done just that and she was still mad at herself for it.

**… be _ready_ for anything.”**

**Hermione nodded. “What are you going to do?”**

**“The only thing I can do.” Sirius said grimly. “Carry on doing this and hope it actually makes a difference.”**

“It did.” Harry said firmly. “Just knowing that there are people out there who care …. That makes a difference.”

**He pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead. “I promise, Hermione, I’m not leaving you two again.”**

_Addie_ sighed. “You can’t make that promise, Sirius.”

“I know.” _Sirius_ grimaced. “I was trying to fool myself.”

**After the last three years, Hermione didn’t consider herself naïve – not even close.**

“I was still more naïve than I thought.” Hermione whispered, remembering the feeling of the last shreds of her childhood being ripped away from her as she listened to Crouch Jr.’s confession.

**She knew it was a dangerous promise to make – an empty one. If Voldemort returned – _when_ Voldemort returned – there would be another war.**

Lily closed her eyes, a soft whimper escaping her throat. It was bad enough that she was growing up in wartime, but she had hoped that her child would no nothing but peace.

**In war, there were no promises, no guarantees.**

**Just pain, and fear, and death.**

**And that was why she didn’t call his bluff.**

**She couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge reality, so she allowed childhood innocence to accompany her for a little while longer.**

“Didn’t last long.” Hermione muttered under her breath, causing Harry to press a kiss to her head.

**The months passed with nothing to suggest that Voldemort was planning anything, and nothing to suggest who had entered Harry’s name.**

Lily let out a shaky breath. “No news is good news.”

**On May sixteenth …**

“Third task happened June sixteenth, right?” Sirius asked.

Addie flicked back. “That’s what it says.” She confirmed. “It also says that the champions would be notified one month beforehand, so I’m guessing that’s what this is.” She found her place again and continued.

**… Harry left Ron and Hermione after dinner and headed out to meet Bagman and the other champions on the Quidditch pitch to learn about the Third Task, while they returned to Gryffindor Tower.**

**After over an hour had passed and Harry still hadn’t returned …**

Lily looked over sharply, and Harry smiled at her. “Don’t worry, Mum. _I_ was fine.”

No one missed the stress he put on the pronoun and it didn’t make anyone feel any better.

**… Hermione was beginning to worry. _He should be back by now._**

**“Yes, he should.” Ginny agreed from beside her, making her jump.**

**“I didn’t realise I said that aloud.” Hermione said weakly.**

**“You didn’t.” Ginny smirked. “You’re just easy to read sometimes.”**

Jen chuckled. “I’ve done that with these two before.” She said, nodding to Lily and Addie. **  
**

**At that moment, the portrait hole swung open and Harry stumbled in, his face as pale as it was the night he learned about the dragons.**

Lily gasped, reaching out to grasp Harry’s hand.

“I was fine, Mum.” Harry repeated, but didn’t attempt to disengage her grip.

**The Common Room fell silent, every face turned towards their Champion, every gaze questioning. What could have happened to make Harry Potter – quintessential Gryffindor, Boy-Who-Lived-Slayed-A-Basilisk-And-Outflew-A-Dragon …**

Fred perked up. “I like that name. Can we use that now?”

Harry groaned, his head falling back against the sofa cushions. “No!”

**… look like that?**

**Angelina, Alicia and Katie – who had long since adopted their Seeker as a little brother – moved towards him, but Hermione beat them to it, grasping his arm. “Harry, what happened? What’s the task?”**

**“It’s nothing, Hermione.” Harry assured her, loud enough for the Common Room to hear. At the same time, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly, three times in quick succession.**

“Roughly translates to “almost everything I’m about to say is pure crap, but I’ll tell you the rest in private so don’t push me for the rest of it”.” James explained to those who didn’t know the Marauders’ sign language.

**To the onlookers, it seemed like a calming gesture.**

**But to Harry and Hermione – and to Ron and Ginny, who had both focused on Harry’s hand the moment it had landed - it carried a simple message. _Play along. We need to talk._**

“I prefer that translation.” Lily smirked. “It’s easier.”

**“The Third Task is a maze, by the way.” Harry told the room.**

Jen frowned. “Normally, I’d say that’s good – Harry’s good at things like that, look at first year – but like Regulus said, do we _want_ him to win?”

**“Best not tell Oliver though – we currently do not have a Quidditch pitch.”**

James let out a noise that sounded like he was about to cry. “What?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “We got it back.”

Ginny nodded in agreement. “The hedges were gone by the summer holidays.”

**Hermione had to admire his misdirection. At the mention of their former Quidditch-obsessed captain, the three Chasers relaxed, laughing along with the joke, no longer looking like they wanted to drag Harry to Madam Pomfrey.**

**“Bit of an easy task, isn’t it?” Lee commented. “A maze.”**

Harry snorted. “I wish.”

**“I wish.” Harry rolled his eyes. “There’ll be various obstacles and charms to get past – and Hagrid’s lending them some of his ‘pets’.”**

“Oh, Merlin, no!” Jen groaned. “That means Skrewts, doesn’t it?”

Harry nodded solemnly. “At least twice their usual size.”

**A shudder travelled round the room – there wasn’t a Gryffindor alive who didn’t know of Hagrid’s love for dangerous animals.**

**One of the seventh years – a boy Hermione knew by sight, though not by name …**

“Walters.” Fred supplied. “Philip Walters.”

**… actually got up and shook Harry’s hand. “Nice knowing you, Potter. Anything particular you want on your tombstone?”**

Lily flinched, but James chuckled. “He doesn’t mean anything by it, Lils.” **  
**

**Harry laughed, taking the remark in the way it had been intended. “How about ‘Why is it always me?’”**

**“Sorry, Harry!” Neville called. “I’ve already reserved that.”**

There were a few chuckles, and Alice cracked a smile. “It does always seem to be you, dear.”

**The laughter increased as Harry mock-sighed. “I’ll have to rethink it then and let you know.”**

“Don’t worry; I’m fine.” Ginny supplied.

**As the seventh year returned to his friends, chuckling to himself, Harry yawned widely – though Hermione knew it was fake …**

“Was it that obvious?” Harry asked, sounding put-out.

Hermione smiled. “No, I can just …”

“… read you like a book.” Harry, Fred and Draco finished.

**… and headed over to talk to Neville, Seamus and Dean, who were playing Exploding Snap.**

**Quiet words were exchanged and the three other boys nodded, looking uncharacteristically serious …**

Sirius perked up, and Addie smacked him on the arm without stopping.

**… and Harry disappeared up the stairs, giving Hermione a meaningful look.**

**Hermione understood, but with the Common Room full of people, she couldn’t just walk up to the boys’ dorms.**

“How do you do it?” Jen asked. “I can get away with it, because Sirius and I are twins, but the others usually have to come up with some excuse.”

**What she needed was an excuse, and she waited patiently for Ron to provide her with one.**

**It came a few minutes later, when Ron stood up, stretching. “I’m turning in. Night Gin, Herms.”**

“Ah, the dreaded nickname.” Fred said reminiscently. “Wait, you mean you don’t really argue over that name?”

“Of course we argue over it.” Hermione smirked. “The secret of a good bluff is not to bluff.”

**Fred and George, in earshot, winced at the nickname, knowing from experience how much Hermione hated it.**

**“Ronald Weasley, don’t call me that!” Hermione snapped. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times …”  
Ron just smirked and jogged off after Harry.**

**“Ron, I’m talking to you!” Hermione headed after him, dimly hearing Ginny make some comment about stopping her from killing him.**

“You catch on quick.” Ginny shrugged. “I had been wondering – not even Ron is _that_ stupid.”

**Glad that she’d caught on so quickly, Hermione kept yelling at Ron until she was out of earshot, slipping into the fourth year dorm behind them.**

**Ginny arrived seconds later, and Hermione locked and silenced the door behind her. “Nice one.”**

**“Thanks.” Ginny grinned. “Have you two ever really argued about that name …**

“Yes.” Harry answered wearily.

**… or is it always a ploy to get you three some privacy?”**

“No.” Hermione sighed.

**“Oh, they’ve argued.” Harry groaned, still pale. “Believe me, they’ve argued.”**

**“Forget that, Harry, what happened?” Hermione asked urgently.**

**“Yeah!” Ron seconded. “They haven’t really turned the pitch into a maze, have they?”**

Lily rolled her eyes. “Yeah, because that’s the important part.”

“It’s pretty important.” James insisted.

**“They have.” Harry said grimly, as Hermione rolled her eyes.**

“I know the feeling, dear.” Lily sighed.

**“There’s little hedges all over the place.”**

James closed his eyes and his lips moved in what seemed to be a silent prayer.

**Ron made a strangled sound that seemed to be a cross between a whimper and a moan.**

**“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Ron!” Hermione sighed. “Something else happened, Harry, what is it?”**

**Harry took a deep breath. “After Bagman finished explaining the task, Krum asked me for a word. We walked to the edge of the Forest …**

“Are you _mental_?!” Regulus demanded.

“Hey!” James protested. “That’s my son you’re talking about!”

“Yeah, a son someone wants to kill and he goes wandering off with someone who’s practically a stranger?!”

 _Sirius_ cleared his throat. “While you have a point, and I did have words with Harry …”

“You yelled.” Harry corrected.

“It was a letter, Harry.” _Sirius_ pointed out. “I couldn’t yell.”

“You wrote in capitals.” Harry smirked. “That’s yelling.”

 _Sirius_ shook his head. “Anyway, I had words with Harry, but Harry trusts Hermione, who would know if Krum was up to something.”

“It’s not Krum I’m worried about.” Regulus admitted grudgingly. “But he trusts Karkaroff, doesn’t he?”

 _Sirius_ nodded. “Which was my point when I … yelled.”

**… behind the Beauxbatons carriage, and he asked me if the rumours were true.” He smirked slightly. “Apparently, I slayed a manticore in my second year.”**

Fred snorted. “Really? He seriously thought a 12-year-old was capable of fighting and defeating a large and potentially lethal creature?”

Harry shrugged. “I know. Crazy, right?”

**Ginny giggled. “Did you tell him it was a basilisk?”  
“Yeah.” Harry grinned. “I don’t think he believed me.”**

Lily shook her head. “I read it, and I’m still not sure I believe it.”

**He sighed and his smile faded. “Then Mr Crouch appeared out of the Forest.”**

“What was Crouch doing in the Forest?” Remus asked suspiciously.

“Maybe he fought off the Imperius.” Lily suggested, her face lighting up. “He fought off the Imperius, and came to Hogwarts looking for help, but he couldn’t find Dumbledore, so he went to Snape. But while he was there, whoever put Harry’s name in the Goblet found him, put him back under the Imperius and made him leave, but he didn’t get far before he fought it off again!”

Regulus looked thoughtful. “It’s plausible. Even probable.”

**“Crouch?” Hermione repeated. “As is Percy’s boss?”**

**Percy had long-since replied to Ron’s letter, informing them in a very annoyed tone that Mr Crouch was _not_ as ill as the _Prophet_ was making out and that he was sending Percy instructions via owl.**

“And Percy didn’t find this strange at all?” David asked.

Fred shook his head. “He was giving Percy a lot of responsibility, which is what Perce thrives on.”

**Harry nodded. “He didn’t seem to realise that we were there to start with … he kept talking to a tree as though it was Percy.”**

David nodded, sighing wearily. “That’s the Imperius.”

**“Easy mistake to make.” Ron snickered.**

**Ginny smacked his arm. “Ron! That’s bad! The poor man must be really ill!”**

**“I wouldn’t call him a poor man.” Hermione muttered mutinously. “But that’s definitely more than the flu.**

“Just a bit.” Harry scowled.

**What did he looked like?”**

**“Awful.” Harry frowned. “All dishevelled and … And then he grabbed me …**

Lily gasped, and reached out to grab Harry’s hand.

“Relax, Lily.” Addie said softly, before she continued to read.

**… and said that he needed to talk to Dumbledore … said he’d done a stupid thing and Voldemort was getting stronger and that it was his fault.**

“That ties it all together.” Sirius groaned. “Brilliant.”

**And then he started talking to the tree again, like his wife and son were still alive. I told Viktor to watch him and ran to get Dumbledore.”**

**“So where is he now?” Ginny asked.**

**“That’s just the thing.” Harry said, his voice dropping. “I ran into Snape, and he delayed me …**

“Delayed you?” James repeated.

“What is all this nonsense, Potter? The Headmaster is busy, Potter.” Harry rolled his eyes. “I swear he was enjoying himself.”

**… but when Dumbledore and I got back …**

Addie raised an eyebrow.

**… Viktor had been Stunned, and Crouch had disappeared.”**

There was silence for a few seconds, before Sirius said, “Well … there’s a turn-up for the books.”

Regulus groaned, leaning back against the sofa. “You know what? I’m not even going to bother theorising anymore.”

“You’re not?” David asked.

Regulus shook his head. “No, it’s giving me a headache. Besides, Harry and Hermione obviously find out the truth, or they’d be saying how confused they are still.”

“And I was enjoying watching you lot flounder.” Hermione sighed. “Oh well.”

Lily frowned. “How could Crouch just disappear though?”

“Only one way to find out.” James shrugged, nodding to Addie. **  
**

**“What?” Hermione gasped. “Where?”**

**“I don’t know.” Harry shrugged. “When we woke Viktor up, he said that Crouch had stunned him.”**

“Back under the Imperius?” James guessed.

“Or turned his back and whoever made Crouch disappear stunned him.” Sirius suggested.

“But if there was someone else there, why wouldn’t they attack Harry if they want him dead?” Lily asked, her voice shaking.

“Because they don’t want him dead yet.” Jen sighed. “I think Regulus is right – they want him to get through all the tasks unscathed. They’ve done something to the Triwizard Cup.”

**“Write to Sirius.” Hermione said immediately.**

**“Dumbledore told me to stay in the Tower.” Harry said, almost reluctantly.**

“You don’t have to leave the Tower to write a letter.” Lily said firmly. “Write to Mandy, Arabella and Remus while you’re at it.”

“I duplicated the letter in the Owlery.” Hermione assured her. “And then changed some of the …” she trailed off, remembering what she _hadn’t_ changed. “Dammit.”

“What?” Mandy asked.

Hermione shook her head. “I’ll tell you later.”

**“I don’t care.” Hermione said sharply. “I’ll take it to the Owlery for you. Write down everything.” As he loaded his quill, she looked over at James and Lily, who had just appeared. “Did you …?”**

**“No.” James scowled, looking furious. “We both followed Harry – we never thought Krum might be in any danger. I can tell you this much though, Hermione, Crouch is – or was – either suffering from a Memory Charm or the Imperius Curse.”**

Everyone sighed, the theory finally confirmed.

**Hermione sucked in a breath and repeated this to Harry, who added it to the letter, looking grim. “Who’d put Crouch under the Imperius Curse and why?”**

“Could …?” Mandy hesitated, and shook her head. “Never mind.”

**“Do you think _he_ could have put Harry’s name in the Goblet?” Ginny asked in a hushed voice. “Hermione saw him on the Map, remember? He was the only person who went near the Goblet!”**

**“But then who put him under the Imperius?” Ron asked. “Wormtail?**

James, Sirius and Remus flinched, and Mandy grimaced. That was what she was wondering, but hadn’t been able to voice the question.

**What with Trelawney’s prediction and Harry’s dream, we know he’s with You-Know-Who.”**

**Pretending not to notice the Potters’ flinches, Hermione turned to them questioningly, but James shook his head. “Peter couldn’t do that.”**

“I wouldn’t like to take bets.” Lily muttered. **  
**

**“He betrayed us, James.” Lily said darkly. “I wouldn’t like to take bets on what he’d do.”**

No one smiled.

**“I didn’t say he _wouldn’t_ , Lils.” James reminded her. “I said he _couldn’t_. It takes a certain amount of magical power to keep someone under the Imperius for as long as Crouch must have been and Peter just doesn’t have that. Not even close.”**

_Sirius_ grimaced. “Actually, I’d disagree with that. Peter may not be as powerful as me, or James, or Remus, but he has more power than people give him credit for. I’d say he’d be perfectly capable of doing that.”

“But …?” Jen guessed.

“He didn’t.” _Sirius_ said simply. “Whatever else he’s done, in the case of this particular crime, he’s not guilty.”

**“Then who?” Hermione asked.**

**Nobody answered her.**

“We didn’t have an answer.” Harry sighed.

Addie looked up. “That’s the end of the chapter.”

“What’s the next one called?” Hermione asked curiously.

“ **The Pensieve**.” Addie answered.

Harry pulled a face. “I’ll read.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “What Pensieve? You never …”

“I know.” Harry took the book and turned to the next chapter.


	25. Chapter Twenty Three - The Pensieve

**Chapter Twenty Three**

**The Pensieve**

Harry hesitated, and smiled. “Huh, won’t go straight into what I thought it would.”

“What did you …?” Hermione began, but he cut her off.

“Looks like we’re taking a detour from Hogwarts.”

**“Mandy, we’ve got mail!” Arabella called.**

The two women sat up straight, interested to know why they were back in the story.

**She opened the window and let Hedwig swoop though to land on the coffee table. “Hello, Hedwig. There’s some owl treats in the kitchen, if you want.”**

**Hedwig hooted softly, let Arabella take the letter from her leg, and fluttered through the door.**

“She’s such a clever owl.” Lily cooed.

**“I swear that owl understands everything we say.” Arabella muttered, running an eye over the letter. “Mandy, it’s from Harry!”**

“That should get me moving.” Mandy commented with a smile.

**“Just a second!”**

**Arabella opened the letter, which was addressed to Sirius, except his name had been crossed out, and Hermione had written beside it: _Mandy and Arabella (and Remus, if you’re there)_.**

“Subtle.” Ginny remarked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I was in a rush.”

“You did take out ‘Mum and Dad’, right?” Harry asked quietly. “Because that would cause more questions than answers.”

“I took out that part,” Hermione sighed, “but I left the part about Wormtail in.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Poor Mandy. This isn’t going to be fun.”

**As it happened, Remus wasn’t there – despite the fact the women had a spare room, he insisted on staying in his small cottage down in Kent.**

“I like that cottage.” Remus stated, when everyone looked at him.

Jen rolled her eyes fondly. “Please, if that’s the reason you’re staying put, I’ll eat a hippogriff.”

**The cottage had belonged to his parents, but both Mandy and Arabella knew that it was more than sentimentalism that kept him there – it was the reluctance to take any form of ‘charity’, even though their numerous offers had nothing to do with that.**

“Of course they wouldn’t.” Arabella said immediately, Mandy nodding in agreement.

“I do wonder why we’re living together though.” Mandy remarked. “No offence, Ara, but surely we could both afford to live on our own by then.”

Harry didn’t give anyone a chance to answer, and kept reading.

**Mandy and Arabella hadn’t lived together when they finished Hogwarts …**

“Most people do it the other way round.” Lily commented with a grin.

**… Mandy lived in a Muggle area of London, near the visitors’ entrance of the Ministry of Magic and Arabella lived in a flat in Diagon Alley over the magical pet shop where she worked.**

**However, after the downfall of Voldemort, the three remaining Marauders had gravitated towards each other for comfort …**

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me.” Remus said quietly, wrapping an arm around Jen’s shoulders as she leaned against him.

**… and when Mandy got a promotion …**

“What was I promoted to?” Mandy asked.

Hermione frowned. “I don’t know. By this point, you were Assistant Head of Department. So nothing higher than that.”

“That’s still pretty impressive.” Arabella remarked, as Mandy beamed.

**… and decided she wanted to live in a house (rather than her tiny little flat), she asked her friends if they would like to come along.**

**Only Arabella accepted, somewhat fed up with the constant comings and goings of Diagon Alley, but Remus was there every other day, so they could catch up and the women could make sure that he was eating properly.**

Remus blushed, but Jen grinned at them. “Thank you.”

“Did I miss the part when I forgot how to eat?” Remus asked dryly.

Jen rolled her eyes. “Eating _properly_ , hun – something I seem to have to force you to do every full moon.”

Sirius sniggered. “You do realise you two sound like an old married couple, don’t you?”

**Arabella read the letter through, frowning to herself. She wasn’t sure how Harry knew that Crouch had been suffering from the Imperius or a Memory Charm, but she had to admit that, with everything that had been happening, it made sense.**

“That reminds me, Harry.” Hermione said suddenly. “You did finish explaining everything to Arabella and Mandy, didn’t you?”

Harry smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I did. I told them about Addie too – you forgot.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I did not _forget_ ; I was interrupted.”

**“What’s wrong with you?” Mandy asked, appearing from upstairs.**

**With a heavy sigh, Arabella handed her the letter and leaned back, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I feel a headache coming on.”**

“She’s not the only one.” Lily sighed.

**“There’s a fresh batch of potion in the kitchen.” Mandy told her absently …**

Mandy smiled – while she was thrilled that she had reached such a position in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Potions had been her passion since she first set foot in the classroom.

**… sinking into the armchair. “Oh dear … Oh, that’s not good …”**

**“You think?” Arabella asked lightly, making her way into the kitchen, where Hedwig was sitting on the back of a chair, her head tucked under her wing.**

**Sure enough, there were fresh bottles in the medicine cupboard, and Arabella downed one, feeling the pain in her head disappear.**

“Looks like you don’t lose your touch.” Arabella remarked.

“Out of interest,” Draco said, “most people buy in potions; why are you so convinced that they’re home-made?”

“Because Mandy doesn’t trust shop-bought potions.” Lily answered cheerfully.

“I do trust them.” Mandy insisted, rolling her eyes. “I just enjoy making potions and I trust mine more.”

**Despite working in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Mandy had always loved Potions, and the room off of their kitchen (originally intended to be a pantry) had long-since been transformed into a potions lab.**

Mandy’s smile widened.

“You have your own potions lab.” Jen said. “You always wanted that.”

**Arabella returned to the living room, where Mandy was now reading another letter. “Where’d that one come from?”**

**“It just arrived.” Mandy told her, looking up with a smile on her face. “Do you want the good news before or after we talk about Harry?”**

“Good news?” Mandy questioned.

“Ah.” Hermione smiled. “I think I know what that letter says, and you won’t find out for a while.”

**“After.” Arabella told her firmly. “What do we do?”**

**Mandy sighed, her smile fading. “I don’t think there’s anything we _can_ do, Ara. Short of kidnapping Harry and bringing him here …**

“Not a bad idea.” Lily said hopefully.

**… no.” She said firmly, as Arabella opened her mouth to say that, actually, that sounded like quite a good idea. “We’re not doing that.”**

Arabella pouted. “Spoilsport.”

**“Lily would have wanted us to.” Arabella muttered.**

**“Well, Lily would have wanted Harry to grow up away from those people.” Mandy scowled. “Lily would have wanted us to ignore Dumbledore and visit him when he was little. Lily would have wanted us to play a bigger part in Harry’s life. Unfortunately, we don’t seem to be very good at doing what Lily would have wanted.”**

Lily had paled slightly, and was shaking her head. “Girls … I don’t blame you at all … None of this was your fault.”

**“You’re the one who said we couldn’t do it.” Arabella pointed out, bending down to pick up one of her cats …**

Jen chuckled fondly. “How many cats do you reckon they have?”

“Six.” Sirius answered promptly.

“I think three.” Remus disagreed. “I think Mandy would have reined her in slightly.”

**… which had wound its way around her legs.**

**“Well, one of us has to be logical.” Mandy said practically. “If Harry doesn’t compete in the Third Task, he risks losing his magic – or worse.”**

Lily sighed. “Dammit.”

“We already knew that.” James reminded her.

Lily shook her head. “We knew that’s what Crouch and Dumbledore were saying. Believe it or not, I trust Mandy a lot more than I do them.”

**“Dammit.” Arabella sighed, sitting down again.**

“Clearly, I do too.” Arabella remarked.

**The Siamese on her lap purred and rubbed its head against her fingers. “I thought that was just hearsay – you know, a dramatic twist for the press.”  
Mandy shook her head. “No, unfortunately not. I was against the use of the Goblet of Fire from the beginning; I suggested that the three head teachers should select their champion.**

Lily smiled weakly. “Thanks for trying.”

**But oh no, we had to have all the traditions, didn’t we?” She stood up, walking over to the window. “Besides, even if we did kidnap Harry, there’s no guarantee he’d be safe with us, none at all.”**

“I hate it when you make sense.” Arabella said flatly.

**Arabella heaved another sigh. “That’s true.”**

**Another of her cats appeared from under one of the sideboards and hopped up on top of it, mewing pitifully.**

“What’s wrong with her?” Arabella asked.

**“I thought you’d fed them this morning.” Mandy murmured, petting the creature absently.**

**“I have.” Arabella rolled her eyes fondly. “Mystic’s just greedy, so she’s trying to wrangle a second breakfast.”**

Arabella relaxed. “Oh.”

Mandy chuckled. “You realise that cat probably hasn’t even been born yet, right, Bastet?”

**Mandy chuckled, gazing out at the back garden. “How many have we got now?”**

Remus and Sirius exchanged a grin.

**Arabella paused for a second, counting up. “Five.**

“Ha!” Sirius smirked. “I win. Closer to six than three.”

**It was four …**

“Ha!” Remus mocked. “I win. Closer to three than six.”

**… but Gran’s getting on a bit, and she asked me to take Mr Paws in.”**

“Ah.” Harry interrupted himself. “I was wondering where Mr Paws went.”

“I thought you didn’t spend as much time with Gran anymore.” Arabella said.

“I don’t.” Harry admitted. “But Mr Paws used to come and sit with me in the park.”

**“Mr Paws.” Mandy repeated incredulously. “Honestly, Arabella, your grandmother has some strange names for her cats.”**

**“I know.” Arabella lazily summoned Harry’s letter and scanned it again. The second-to-last sentence jumped out at her.**

**_We were wondering if Wormtail was the one that cursed Crouch, but ~~Mum and Dad~~ we don’t think he’s powerful enough._ **

Arabella sucked in a breath. “Oh dear. Tell me I’m not going to be tactless enough to read that out.”

**Arabella frowned. The words before ‘we don’t think’ had been scribbled out, but it almost looked like Harry had written ‘Mum and Dad’. _Well, that can’t be right._ “I wonder what Harry was going to say.”**

Arabella dropped her head into her hands. “Oh, Mandy, I’m so sorry.”

**“When?” Mandy asked.**

**“At the end,” Arabella answered absently, stroking Morgana’s head.**

“Morgana?” Ginny questioned, trying to lighten the mood.

**“When he said he didn’t think Peter was powerful enough to …” She broke off abruptly, suddenly realising what she was saying and who she was saying it to.**

**For a few seconds, the room was filled with a heavy silence.**

No one spoke. They knew that Peter and Mandy would date in the future, and they knew how things had upset _their_ Mandy, but they had yet to see the effects first-hand.

**Mandy’s hand froze on Mystic’s head, but after a few seconds, she resumed her rhythmic stroking. “I noticed that.” She said in a deceptively calm voice.**

Addie moved to sit beside Mandy.

**“It looked like he said Mum and Dad, which makes no sense – unless he was talking in code for his letter to Sirius and altered it later. The ‘we’ looked like Hermione’s handwriting, as did our names – she probably duplicated it for him and changed some of the words.”**

**“Why Mum and Dad?” Arabella asked cautiously.**

**Mandy shrugged, still not turning to face her. “Maybe it’s not. Maybe that’s just what it looks like. It could be abbreviations for ‘McGonagall’ and ‘Dumbledore’ for all we know – Harry’s handwriting isn’t the most legible.”**

Lily chuckled. “Now why does that sound familiar?”

**“Gets that from his father.” Arabella grinned.**

“Oi!” James protested.

**When her best friend didn’t laugh …**

Addie and Arabella exchanged a worried look over Mandy’s head.

**… she sighed. “Mandy, are you alright?”**

**“Fine.” Mandy said briskly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”**

“Not the best acting, Talon.” Addie said with false brightness.

Mandy smiled weakly. “You don’t have to tiptoe round me. I’m just worried about what the future holds, that’s all.”

**“You’re not looking at me, your voice sounds funny, and I just mentioned … him.” Arabella said softly.**

**“You don’t have to tiptoe around me, Ara.” Mandy told her, finally turning around. “I’m fine.”**

“Well, I’d disagree with that.” Mandy admitted. “ _I’m_ not fine, and I haven’t lived through it all yet.”

**“No, you’re not.” Arabella disagreed gently. “You know, you’ve never really talked about it.”**

**“We talked about it a lot.” Mandy protested.**

**“Yeah, back when we thought he was dead.” Arabella hesitated. “Do you … want to talk about it?”**

**“Not particularly.” Mandy admitted. “But I suppose I probably should.”**

“I hate that sort of situation.” Lily commented.

**She returned to the armchair, and Mystic jumped down from the sideboard and ran over the jump on to her lap. “Since when is she so fond of me?”**

“Cats are fickle creatures.” Lily said wisely. “If you show them any sort of attention, you become their favourite person, no matter what has come before.”

**“Since you showed her attention.” Arabella smirked. “Don’t change the subject.”**

**Mandy heaved a heavy sigh. “I don’t even know what to say, Ara. I thought he loved me; he stabbed us all in the back. End of story.”**

“No way is it that simple.” Alice murmured.

**“Mandy,” Arabella said softly, “that’s _not_ the end of the story.”**

**“I hate what he did.” Mandy said in a low voice. “I can never forgive what he did. And yet, somehow, I can’t stop loving him.”**

Mandy closed her eyes, a tear slipping down her cheek.

No one seemed to know what to say, until _Addie_ stood up and moved over to her, gesturing for her younger self to move along so she could sit down. Wrapping an arm around Mandy’s shoulders, she handed her a tissue and said, “There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.”

“How can you say that?” Mandy asked shakily.

 _Addie_ took a moment to figure out what to say. “I knew …” she said slowly “… before I arrived here what Sirius had been accused of. I never believed it for several reasons. Most prominent, of course, was that I knew Sirius would never join Voldemort, and that he was, in no way, capable of murder. In cold blood,” she added, when _Sirius_ opened his mouth. “But there was another reason.”

“There was?” Mandy asked.

“There was?” _Sirius_ repeated. “You never mentioned …”

“I didn’t believe it, because I was scared to.” _Addie_ interrupted, looking resolutely at Mandy. “Because I knew that even if I was offered undeniable solid proof, even if someone force fed him Veritaserum and forced him to confess in front of me … I knew that I still wouldn’t stop loving him. The heart wants what it wants, Mandy – you can’t force it to feel something different now, and you won’t be able to when this happens.”

Mandy nodded, wiping her eyes. “Thank you.”

**She closed her eyes too late to stop the tear that slipped out. “And I feel like such a horrible person for that.”**

_Addie_ squeezed her hand, but said nothing more.

**“Mandy …” Moving the Siamese, Arabella got up to perch on the arm of the armchair, wrapping an arm around her best friend’s shoulders. “Honey, you’re not a horrible person. You were together for over two years …**

“Two years?” Mandy questioned hoarsely.

“That means you were together for over a year before we found out about it.” _Sirius_ remarked quietly. “I’m not sure if I’m impressed or annoyed that I never noticed.”

“Explains how Lily didn’t know.” _Addie_ said. “It must have happened around her wedding. Probably wasn’t looking too closely.”

**… and then you thought he was dead for twelve. You’ve never had a chance to get over him. It’s okay.”**

**“No, it’s not.” Mandy disagreed, wiping her eyes. “He lied to us, Arabella. A lot. Every time he said his mum was sick and needed him to run an errand for her …”**

Remus closed his eyes. “Probably got the idea from me.”

Jen squeezed his hand. “Two completely different situations, sweetheart.”

**Arabella groaned. “He was with … Dammit, why didn’t we notice?! She was always saying she never him enough, and we just took it as an overprotective mother!”**

“Why didn’t you question it?” David asked.

 _Sirius_ sighed. “The Order of the Phoenix thrives on secrecy. If Peter had a crappy excuse, no one said anything, because we were all on secret missions all the time and lying to each other’s faces. I think Jen and Remus were the only people who knew exactly what the other person was doing, and even then that was still limited to the basic details.”

David frowned. “That doesn’t sound like a very healthy situation. Isn’t there a Muggle saying? Something about standing and falling?”

“United we stand, divided we fall.” Harry, Hermione and Lily supplied in unison.

 _Sirius_ shrugged. “Another prime example of Dumbledore saying jump and us saying ‘how high’.”

**“Because we were all doing the same thing.” Mandy said miserably. “We all had secret Order missions and we all lied about what we were doing.**

_Sirius_ nodded absently.

**But I should have known – it was always so sudden. He’d go and get a cup of tea and come back with a ‘letter’.” She looked up at Arabella with tear-filled eyes. “And then he’d kiss me goodbye and tell me he loved me and go off to kiss the robes of the man who wanted us all dead!” Her voice, which had risen in frustration, dropped to a whisper again. “It just hurts that our entire relationship was a lie.”**

_Addie_ hugged Mandy and handed her over to Arabella, before returning to _Sirius_ ’s side.

“Addie …” Jen said slowly. “How did you know about Sirius before you got here?”

 _Addie_ smiled weakly. “I’ll tell you later.”

Addie looked up sharply, remembering her future self-words earlier in the day. _“There is a reason I know Cedric, although, yes, I wish there wasn’t.”_ She said nothing, another level of foreboding seeping into her mind.

**Harry was riding on the back of an eagle owl …**

“Excuse me?” Lily asked blankly.

Harry smiled slightly. “It’s a new section, Mum. I was dreaming.”

**… soaring through the clear blue sky toward an old, ivy-covered house set high on a hillside.**

Jen closed her eyes. “That sounds familiar.”

Harry paused and leaned over to Hermione. “They must have returned after going after Crouch.” He murmured, and she nodded.

**Lower and lower they flew, the wind blowing pleasantly in Harry's face, until they reached a dark and broken window in the upper story of the house and entered. Now they were flying along a gloomy passageway, to a room at the very end … through the door they went, into a dark room whose windows were boarded up …**

**Harry had left the owl's back … he was watching, now, as it fluttered across the room, into a chair with its back to him …**

“Voldemort.” James whispered, his arm slipping around Lily’s waist.

**There were two dark shapes on the floor beside the chair … both of them were stirring …One was a huge snake … the other was a man … a short, balding man, a man with watery eyes and a pointed nose …**

Mandy flinched again.

**… he was wheezing and sobbing on the hearth rug…**

**"You are in luck, Wormtail," said a cold, high-pitched voice from the depths of the chair in which the owl had landed. "You are very fortunate indeed. Your blunder has not ruined everything. He is dead."**

“Who?” Alice whispered, gripping Neville’s hand.

“Crouch, most likely.” Regulus said grimly. “Whoever stunned Krum killed him – he’d served his purpose and it would take too much effort to put him back under.”

“But if it’s Crouch, what was Peter’s ‘blunder’?” Remus asked. “Sirius already said that he didn’t put him under the Imperius.”

“Maybe he let him escape.” Jen suggested.

**"My Lord!" gasped the man on the floor. "My Lord, I am … I am so pleased … and so sorry …"**

**"Nagini," said the cold voice, "you are out of luck. I will not be feeding Wormtail to you, after all …**

Everyone shuddered. They may have been mad at Peter, but no one deserved a death like that.

**… but never mind, never mind … there is still Harry Potter …"**

Lily stiffened, glaring at the book. “Stay away from my son!”

**The snake hissed. Harry could see its tongue fluttering.**

**"Now, Wormtail," said the cold voice, "perhaps one more little reminder why I will not tolerate another blunder from you …"**

Regulus winced. “I don’t envy him right now.”

**"My Lord … no … I beg you …"**

**The tip of a wand emerged from around the back of the chair. It was pointing at Wormtail.**

**"Crucio!" said the cold voice.**

“Oh, Merlin …” Mandy whispered, looking very pale.

A potion appeared on the table and David picked it up, glancing at the label. “Anti-nausea.” He said, handing it to her.

Mandy took it gratefully and downed it, before checking the label herself. A smile graced her face. “My handwriting. It’s one of mine.”

**Wormtail screamed, screamed as though every nerve in his body were on fire …**

Her smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

**… the screaming filled Harry's ears as the scar on his forehead seared with pain …**

Harry rubbed his scar absently as he read.

**… he was yelling too … Voldemort would hear him, would know he was there …**

**"Harry! Harry!"**

**Harry opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor of Professor Trelawney's …**

Sirius groaned. “That’s the worst place to have a dream like that, especially if you woke up screaming.”

“I did.” Harry grimaced.

**… room with his hands over his face. His scar was still burning so badly that his eyes were watering. The pain had been real. The whole class was standing around him, and Ron was kneeling next to him, looking terrified.**

**"You all right?" he said.**

**"Of course he isn't!" said Professor Trelawney, looking thoroughly excited.**

“Excited?” Lily repeated dangerously. “He’s not alright, and she’s _excited_?!”

“Don’t take it personally, Lily.” Hermione said with a smile. “She thought Harry had Seen.”

**Her great eyes loomed over Harry, gazing at him. "What was it Potter? A premonition? An apparition? What did you see?"**

**"Nothing," Harry lied.**

“It was a really bad lie as well.” Hermione smirked. “Why didn’t you just say you had a nightmare?”

Harry shrugged. “She’d have taken that as a premonition and I wanted to get out of there.”

**He sat up. He could feel himself shaking. He couldn't stop himself from looking around, into the shadows behind him; Voldemort’s voice had sounded so close …**

**"You were clutching your scar!" said Professor Trelawney.**

Lily squeaked. “The pain was real then?”

Harry nodded. “Very real.”

“That’s not normal.” Regulus remarked.

Lily gave him a vicious glare. “There is _nothing_ wrong with my son!”

He held up his hands. “I didn’t say there was, Evans. But that is not a normal scar – something else happened that night. I just don’t know what.”

**"You were rolling on the floor, clutching your scar! Come now Potter, I have experience in these matters!"**

Several people snorted.

“That reminds me, Neville,” Alice said, “why did you choose Divination? I would have thought Frank’s mother wouldn’t approve.”

Neville blushed. “She doesn’t. But she didn’t think I’d handle Arithmancy or Ancient Runes. Something about Dad not having an aptitude for them either.”

Alice rolled her eyes. “Do you know, Neville, I’m not sure your grandmother remembers you have a mother as well. I’m quite good at Arithmancy. Plus, I think you can do absolutely anything you put your mind to.”

Neville turned even redder when Hermione nodded in agreement. “You really can, Nev.” She said kindly. “Some of the things you’ve managed with plants in Herbology not even Professor Sprout can do.”

**Harry looked up at her.**

**"I need to go to the hospital wing, I think," he said. "Bad headache."**

“Good boy.” Lily whispered.

“I don’t think Madam Pomfrey’s going to help.” Jen said fairly. “I doubt she’s got anything in her cupboard for Killing Curse scars.”

**"My dear, you were undoubtedly stimulated by the extraordinary clairvoyant vibrations of my room!" said Professor Trelawney. "If you leave now, you may lose the opportunity to see further than you have ever -"**

**"I don't want to see anything except a headache cure," said Harry.**

Sirius snorted.

**He stood up. The class backed away. They all looked unnerved.**

“Oh, honestly, like they’ve never had a nightmare.” Lily huffed.

**"See you later," Harry muttered to Ron, and he picked up his bag and headed for the trapdoor, ignoring Professor Trelawney, who was wearing an expression of great frustration, as though she had just been denied a real treat.**

Lily scowled, but didn’t complain again.

**When Harry reached the bottom of her stepladder, however, he did not set off for the hospital wing. He had no intention whatsoever of going there.**

“Harry!” Lily protested.

“Jen was right, Mum.” Harry told her gently. “Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t be able to do anything. Besides …”

**Sirius had told him what to do if his scar hurt him again, and Harry was going to follow his advice: He was going straight to Dumbledore's office.**

“Oh.” Lily said sheepishly. “That’s as good, I suppose.”

**He marched down the corridors, thinking about what he had seen in the dream … it had been as vivid as the one that had awoken him on Privet Drive … He ran over the details in his mind, trying to make sure he could remember them … He had heard Voldemort accusing Wormtail of making a blunder… but the owl had brought good news, the blunder had been repaired, somebody was dead … so Wormtail was not going to be fed to the snake … he, Harry, was going to be fed to it instead …**

“The hell you are.” James muttered mutinously.

**Harry had walked right past the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore’s office without noticing.**

Remus chuckled. “Lily.”

“What?” Lily asked blankly.

“The habit of getting so lost in your thoughts you completely blank out everything around you.” Remus elaborated. “He gets it from you.”

**He blinked, looked around, realized what he had done, and retraced his steps, stopping in front of it. Then he remembered that he didn't know the password.**

“A type of sweet.” James advised.

**"Sherbet lemon?" he tried tentatively.**

Hermione chuckled. “Harry, _our_ password changes every few weeks – did you really think that Dumbledore’s would be the same after two years?”

“I was hoping.” Harry said sheepishly.

**The gargoyle did not move.**

**"Okay," said Harry, staring at it, "Pear Drop. Er - Licorice Wand. Fizzing Whizbee. Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans … oh no, he doesn't like them, does he? … oh just open, can't you?" he said angrily. "I really need to see him, its urgent!"**

“It won’t listen to that.” Lily said with a smile.

**The gargoyle remained immovable.**

**Harry kicked it, achieving nothing but an excruciating pain in his big toe.**

Draco sniggered. “Smooth.”

**"Chocolate Frog!" he yelled angrily, standing on one leg. "Sugar Quill! Cockroach Cluster!"**

**The gargoyle sprang to life and jumped aside.**

“Really?” Sirius asked. “Cockroach Cluster?”

“Well, it’s not one I’d have guessed.” Remus said fairly.

**Harry blinked.**

**"Cockroach Cluster?" he said, amazed. "I was only joking …"**

**He hurried through the gap in the walls and stepped onto the foot of a spiral stone staircase, which moved slowly upward as the doors closed behind him, taking him up to a polished oak door with a brass door knocker. He could hear voices from inside the office. He stepped off the moving staircase and hesitated, listening.**

“Harry …” Lily began.

“Don’t tell him not to eavesdrop, Lils,” James interrupted, “not when you’d do exactly the same thing.”

**"Dumbledore, I'm afraid I don't see the connection, don't see it at all!" It was the voice of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. "Ludo says Bertha's perfectly capable of getting herself lost.**

“Sounds like Dumbledore’s trying to convince Fudge that Bertha and Crouch are connected.” Sirius frowned.

**I agree we would have expected to have found her by now, but all the same, we've no evidence of foul play, Dumbledore, none at all.**

“A woman’s disappeared without trace!” David protested. “What part of that isn’t foul play?!”

**As for her disappearance being linked with Barty Crouch's!"**

**"And what do you think happened to Barty Crouch, Minister?" said Moody's growling voice.**

**"I see two possibilities, Alastor," said Fudge. "Either Crouch has finally cracked – more than likely, I'm sure you'll agree, given his personal history – lost his mind, and gone wandering off somewhere -"**

“What happened to Krum then?” Jen asked coldly. “Besides, I’m sure Dumbledore had the Forest searched almost immediately …”

“Moody told us the next morning that he summoned the Map immediately and there was no sign of him.” Hermione filled in.

Jen nodded. “There’s no way he wandered out of the grounds that quickly.”

**"He wandered extremely quickly, if that is the case, Cornelius," said Dumbledore calmly.**

**"Or else - well…" Fudge sounded embarrassed. "Well, I'll reserve judgment until after I've seen the place where he was found, but you say it was just past the Beauxbatons carriage? Dumbledore, you know what that woman is?"**

“Bigoted arse!” James hissed. “You can’t accuse her on the basis that she’s a half-giant!”

**"I consider her to be a very able headmistress – and an excellent dancer," said Dumbledore quietly.**

Jen smirked. “I may not agree with Dumbledore all the time, but that is an excellent response.”

**"Dumbledore, come!" said Fudge angrily. "Don't you think you might be prejudiced in her favour because of Hagrid?**

Sirius let out a bark of humourless laughter. “I’m sorry … _Dumbledore_ is the prejudiced one?”

**They don't all turn out harmless – if, indeed, you can call Hagrid harmless, with that monster fixation he's got -"**

**"I no more suspect Madame Maxime than Hagrid," said Dumbledore, just as calmly. "I think it possible that it is you who are prejudiced, Cornelius."**

“More than possible.” Alice muttered.

**"Can we wrap up this discussion?" growled Moody.**

**"Yes, yes, let's go down to the grounds, then," said Fudge impatiently.**

**"No, it's not that," said Moody, "it's just that Potter wants a word with you, Dumbledore.**

“Busted.” Fred sang.

**He's just outside the door."**

**The door of the office opened.**

**"Hello, Potter," said Moody. "Come in, then."**

**Harry walked inside. He had been inside Dumbledore's office once before; it was a very beautiful, circular room, lined with pictures of previous headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts, all of whom were fast asleep, their chests rising and falling gently.**

_Sirius_ chuckled. “They’re not asleep, pup – they fake it so they can pick up on gossip.”

**Cornelius Fudge was standing beside Dumbledore's desk, wearing his usual pinstriped cloak and holding his lime-green bowler hat.**

**"Harry!" said Fudge jovially, moving forward. "How are you?"**

Harry and Hermione exchanged a weary smirk. How quickly the tides would change.

**"Fine," Harry lied.**

**"We were just talking about the night when Mr. Crouch turned up on the grounds," said Fudge. "It was you who found him, was it not?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. Then, feeling it was pointless to pretend that he hadn't overheard what they had been saying, he added, "I didn't see Madame Maxime anywhere, though, and she'd have a job hiding, wouldn't she?"**

“Just a bit, yeah.” Sirius smirked.

**Dumbledore smiled at Harry behind Fudge's back, his eyes twinkling.**

**"Yes, well," said Fudge, looking embarrassed, "we're about to go for a short walk on the grounds, Harry, if you'll excuse us … perhaps if you just go back to your class -"**

“What exactly does he think Harry’s there for?” Regulus asked. “A cup of tea and a crumpet?”

“Well, Fudge does like his crumpets.” Fred said gravely.

**"I wanted to talk to you. Professor," Harry said quickly, looking at Dumbledore, who gave him a swift, searching look.**

Regulus frowned. “Legilimency. Did I miss the part when that became legal?”

“No.” Hermione answered. “You didn’t. Neither did I.”

**"Wait here for me, Harry," he said. "Our examination of the grounds will not take long."**

**They trooped out in silence past him and closed the door. After a minute or so, Harry heard the clunks of Moody's wooden leg growing fainter in the corridor below. He looked around.**

**"Hello, Fawkes," he said.**

**Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix, was standing on his golden perch beside the door. The size of a swan, with magnificent scarlet-and-gold plumage, he swished his long tail and blinked benignly at Harry.**

“That’s about normal for a phoenix – they don’t often respond to people unless they want to.” Jen commented.

**Harry sat down in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. For several minutes, he sat and watched the old headmasters and headmistresses snoozing in their frames, thinking about what he had just heard, and running his fingers over his scar. It had stopped hurting now.**

**He felt much calmer, somehow, now that he was in Dumbledore's office, knowing he would shortly be telling him about the dream. Harry looked up at the walls behind the desk. The patched and ragged Sorting Hat was standing on a shelf.**

“Going to try it on again?” James asked with a grin.

Harry chuckled. “Not this time, Dad.”

**A glass case next to it held a magnificent silver sword with large rubies set into the hilt, which Harry recognized as the one he himself had pulled out of the Sorting Hat in his second year.**

James and David both beamed proudly at him.

**The sword had once belonged to Godric Gryffindor, founder of Harry's House. He was gazing at it, remembering how it had come to his aid when he had thought all hope was lost, when he noticed a patch of silvery light, dancing and shimmering on the glass case. He looked around for the source of the light and saw a sliver of silver-white shining brightly from within a black cabinet behind him, whose door had not been closed properly.**

Jen narrowed her eyes. “Why do I think that was left open on purpose?”

Harry hesitated. “Actually it probably was.” He admitted.

**Harry hesitated, glanced at Fawkes, then got up, walked across the office, and pulled open the cabinet door.**

**A shallow stone basin lay there, with odd carvings around the edge: runes and symbols that Harry did not recognize.**

“Ah.” David said softly. “A pensieve.”

“So if Dumbledore did leave the door open on purpose,” Remus said slowly, “there must be something in there he wants Harry to see.”

**The silvery light was coming from the basin's contents, which were like nothing Harry had ever seen before. He could not tell whether the substance was liquid or gas. It was a bright, whitish silver, and it was moving ceaselessly; the surface of it became ruffled like water beneath wind, and then, like clouds, separated and swirled smoothly. It looked like light made liquid – or like wind made solid – Harry couldn't make up his mind.**

Hermione sighed. “You’ve got such a way with words, Harry.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Again, Mione, I didn’t write this.”

**He wanted to touch it, to find out what it felt like, but nearly four years' experience of the magical world told him that sticking his hand into a bowl full of some unknown substance was a very stupid thing to do.**

“Good, good.” Fred said pompously. “We’re getting somewhere.”

**He therefore pulled his wand out of the inside of his robes, cast a nervous look around the office, looked back at the contents of the basin, and prodded them.**

“Will that do anything?” Lily asked anxiously.

“It’ll bring the most recently added memory to the fore.” David explained.

**The surface of the silvery stuff inside the basin began to swirl very fast. Harry bent closer, his head right inside the cabinet. The silvery substance had become transparent; it looked like glass. He looked down into it expecting to see the stone bottom of the basin – and saw instead an enormous room below the surface of the mysterious substance, a room into which he seemed to be looking through a circular window in the ceiling.**

**The room was dimly lit; he thought it might even be underground, for there were no windows, merely torches in brackets such as the ones that illuminated the walls of Hogwarts. Lowering his face so that his nose was a mere inch away from the glassy substance, Harry saw that rows and rows of witches and wizards were seated around every wall on what seemed to be benches rising in levels.**

“That sounds like the Wizengamot chamber.” David remarked, frowning. “Or one of them, at least.”

**An empty chair stood in the very centre of the room. There was something about the chair that gave Harry an ominous feeling. Chains encircled the arms of it, as though its occupants were usually tied to it.**

“That’s a courtroom, isn’t it, Dad?” James asked.

David nodded. “Courtroom Ten. Dumbledore must want Harry to watch a trial.”

“You think?” Regulus asked.

“That, or a Wizengamot session,” David frowned, “but given the lengths he seems to have gone to hide Harry’s heritage from him, I doubt it’s the latter.”

**Where was this place? It surely wasn't Hogwarts; he had never seen a room like that here in the castle. Moreover, the crowd in the mysterious room at the bottom of the basin was comprised of adults, and Harry knew there were not nearly that many teachers at Hogwarts.**

“Not even close.” Ginny muttered.

**They seemed, he thought, to be waiting for something; even though he could only see the tops of their hats, all of their faces seemed to be pointing in one direction, and none of them were talking to one another.**

“It’s a trial.” David confirmed.

**The basin being circular, and the room he was observing square, Harry could not make out what was going on in the corners of it. He leaned even closer, tilting his head, trying to see …**

**The tip of his nose touched the strange substance into which he was staring.**

James chuckled. “Well, that’s one way to enter a memory. Most people go with a finger, Harry, just to let you know.”

**Dumbledore's office gave an almighty lurch - Harry was thrown forward and pitched headfirst into the substance inside the basin – But his head did not hit the stone bottom. He was falling through something icy cold and black; it was like being sucked into a dark whirlpool –**

“Good description.” Jen nodded.

**And suddenly, Harry found himself sitting on a bench at the end of the room inside the basin, a bench raised high above the others. He looked up at the high stone ceiling, expecting to see the circular window through which he had just been staring, but there was nothing there but dark, solid stone.**

**Breathing hard and fast Harry looked around him. Not one of the witches and wizards in the room (and there were at least two hundred of them) was looking at him.**

“Definitely a trial. There aren’t that many people in for a Wizengamot session.” David commented.

“Who would have been there then, Grandad?” Harry asked interestedly.

“Well, the Wizengamot would have been there,” David conceded, “but there would also be all the Heads of Departments, plus a jury.”

“Think of it like the House of Lords and the House of Commons.” _Sirius_ explained. “The House of Lords are hereditary seats – they sit in on the Wizengamot – and the House of Commons – the elected seats – join them for the trials.”

“Actually, the House of Lords aren’t just hereditary seats anymore.” Hermione put in. “They’ve started reforms and are starting to assign peerages.”

**Not one of them seemed to have noticed that a fourteen-year-old boy had just dropped from the ceiling into their midst.**

“Because it’s a memory.” Draco explained.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Believe it or not, I know that now.”

**Harry turned to the wizard next to him on the bench and uttered a loud cry of surprise that reverberated around the silent room. He was sitting right next to Albus Dumbledore.**

**"Professor!" Harry said in a kind of strangled whisper. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean to – I was just looking at that basin in your cabinet – I – where are we?"**

**But Dumbledore didn't move or speak. He ignored Harry completely. Like every other wizard on the benches, he was staring into the far corner of the room, where there was a door.**

“I wonder whose trial it is.” David mused.

**Harry gazed, nonplussed, at Dumbledore, then around at the silently watchful crowd, then back at Dumbledore. And then it dawned on him …**

“Took you long enough.” Fred teased.

**Once before Harry had found himself somewhere that nobody could see or hear hm. That time, he had fallen through a page in an enchanted diary, right into somebody else's memory … and unless he was very much mistaken, something of the sort had happened again …**

**Harry raised his right hand, hesitated, and then waved it energetically in from of Dumbledore's face.**

Sirius laughed. “Can you imagine if it wasn’t a memory?”

**Dumbledore did not blink, look around at Harry, or indeed move at all. And that, in Harry's opinion, settled the matter. Dumbledore wouldn't ignore him like that.**

Hermione frowned. It was all very well Harry saying that, but Dumbledore had been basically forcing them all to ignore him all summer.

**He was inside a memory, and this was not the present-day Dumbledore. Yet it couldn't be that long ago … the Dumbledore sitting next to him now was silver-haired, just like the present-day Dumbledore. But what was this place? What were all these wizards waiting for?**

**Harry looked around more carefully. The room, as he had suspected when observing it from above, was almost certainly underground …**

“All the Ministry is.” David supplied.

Lily frowned. “But James mentioned something about windows …”

“Enchanted windows.” David explained. “The weather changes, depending on the season, or the mood of the people in Magical Maintenance.”

**… more of a dungeon than a room, he thought. There was a bleak and forbidding air about the place; there were no pictures on the walls, no decorations at all; just these serried rows of benches, rising in levels all around the room, all positioned so that they had a clear view of that chair with the chains on its arms.**

“And each other.” _Sirius_ muttered. He had only been in that room a few times between his brother’s death and his own arrest, and he had hated every second of it.

**Before Harry could reach any conclusions about the place in which they were, he heard footsteps. The door in the corner of the dungeon opened and three people entered – or at least one man, flanked by two Dementors. Harry's insides went cold.**

“Dementors can’t affect him inside a memory, can they?” Lily asked anxiously.

“No.” Regulus answered. “Harry’s probably feeling the cold he associates with Dementors.”

**The Dementors - tall, hooded creatures whose faces were concealed - were gliding slowly toward the chair in the centre of the room, each grasping one of the man's arms with their dead and rotten-looking hands. The man between them looked as though he was about to faint …**

“I don’t blame him.” _Sirius_ muttered.

**… and Harry couldn't blame him … he knew the Dementors could not touch him inside a memory, but he remembered their power only too well. The watching crowd recoiled slightly as the Dementors placed the man in the chained chair and glided back out of the room. The door swung shut behind them.**

**Harry looked down at the man now sitting in the chair and saw that it was Karkaroff.**

“Ah.” Jen sat forward interestedly. “Looks like we’re going to hear the names that got him out of Azkaban.”

**Unlike Dumbledore, Karkaroff looked much younger; his hair and goatee were black. He was not dressed in sleek furs, but in thin and ragged robes. He was shaking. Even as Harry watched, the chains on the arms of the chair glowed suddenly gold and snaked their way up Karkaroff's arms, binding him there.**

**"Igor Karkaroff," said a curt voice to Harry's left. Harry looked around and saw Mr. Crouch standing up in the middle of the bench beside him. Crouch's hair was dark, his face was much less lined, he looked fit and alert.**

“Was this before or after his son?” Jen asked curiously.

 _Sirius_ thought for a second. “Before, but not by much. It was definitely after Voldemort fell though.”

“How long?” Alice whispered. “How long after he fell were we …?”

“A week.” Neville answered flatly. “For some reason, you and Dad thought it was safe to come out of hiding.”

“I wish we knew _why_ we were in hiding in the first place.” Alice sighed with some frustration.

**"You have been brought from Azkaban to present evidence to the Ministry of Magic. You have given us to understand that you have important information for us."**

“Not important enough to get him free.” Jen muttered.

**Karkaroff straightened himself as best he could, tightly bound to the chair.**

**"I have, sir," he said, and although his voice was very scared, Harry could still hear the familiar unctuous note in it. "I wish to be of use to the Ministry.**

James snorted. “Yeah right. Wishes to save his own sorry backside more like it.”

**I wish to help. I – I know that the Ministry is trying to – to round up the last of the Dark Lord’s supporters.**

“Well done!” Alice said mockingly. “How on earth did you guess that?”

**I am eager to assist in any way I can…"**

**There was a murmur around the benches. Some of the wizards and witches were surveying Karkaroff with interest, others with pronounced mistrust.**

“I don’t blame them.” David frowned.

**Then Harry heard, quite distinctly, from Dumbledore’s other side, a familiar, growling voice saying, "Filth."**

“Moody.” Sirius guessed.

**Harry leaned forward so that he could see past Dumbledore. Mad-Eye Moody was sitting there - except that there was a very noticeable difference in his appearance. He did not have his magical eye, but two normal ones.**

“So he lost his eye _after_ Voldemort fell.” David concluded.

“That’s when most of the raids happened.” _Sirius_ explained. “Obviously there were a few here and there beforehand, but it was only once Voldemort had gone that the aurors could really clean up.”

**Both were looking down upon Karkaroff, and both were narrowed in intense dislike.**

**"Crouch is going to let him out," Moody breathed quietly to Dumbledore. "He's done a deal with him. Took me and Potter six months to track him down, and Crouch is going to let him go if he's got enough new names.**

James made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat.

**Let's hear his information, I say, and throw him straight back to the Dementors."**

**Dumbledore made a small noise of dissent through his long, crooked nose. "Ah, I was forgetting… you don't like the Dementors, do you, Albus?" said Moody with a sardonic smile.**

**"No," said Dumbledore calmly, "I'm afraid I don't. I have long felt the Ministry is wrong to ally itself with such creatures."**

“One of the few things I completely agree with him on.” Jen said quietly.

**"But for filth like this …" Moody said softly.**

**"You say you have names for us, Karkaroff," said Mr. Crouch. "Let us hear them, please."**

**"You must understand," said Karkaroff hurriedly, "that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named operated always in the greatest secrecy …**

Regulus smirked. “In other words, you’ve just realised your names might not be any good.”

**He preferred that we – I mean to say, his supporters – and I regret now, very deeply, that I ever counted myself among them -"**

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake,” _Sirius_ growled, “get on with it!”

**"Get on with it," sneered Moody.**

**"- we never knew the names of every one of our fellows - He alone knew exactly who we all were -"**

Regulus rolled his eyes. “Wise move, considering the circumstances.”

**"Which was a wise move, wasn't it, as it prevented someone like you, Karkaroff, from turning all of them in," muttered Moody.**

“First Jen, then Sirius, now Regulus …” _Addie_ sniggered. “Sounding like Moody must be a family trait.”

**"Yet you say you have some names for us?" said Mr. Crouch.**

**"I – I do," said Karkaroff breathlessly. "And these were important supporters, mark you. People I saw with my own eyes doing his bidding. I give this information as a sign that I fully and totally renounce him, and am filled with a remorse so deep I can barely -"**

“Get _on_ with it!” James snapped.

**"These names are?" said Mr. Crouch sharply.**

**Karkaroff drew a deep breath.**

**"There was Andrew Travers," he said.**

_Sirius_ snorted. “No good.”

“He wasn’t a Death Eater?” David asked.

“Oh, he was.” _Sirius_ smirked coldly. “But I brought him in, a few days after James and Moody took Karkaroff out of action.”

**"I – I saw him torture countless Muggles and – and non-supporters of the Dark Lord."**

**"And helped him do it," murmured Moody.**

**"We have already apprehended Travers," said Crouch. "He was caught shortly after yourself."**

_Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “Notice how he avoids saying who by.”

**"Indeed?" said Karkaroff, his eyes widening. "I – I am delighted to hear it!"**

Jen laughed humourlessly. “No, you’re not. That’s one name useless.”

**But he didn't look it. Harry could tell that this news had come as a real blow to him. One of his names was worthless.**

**"Any others?" said Crouch coldly.**

**"Why, yes … there was Rosier," said Karkaroff hurriedly. "Evan Rosier."**

“He’s in our year.” Arabella said softly.

“Doesn’t surprise me.” Lily muttered.

**"Rosier is dead," said Crouch. "He was caught shortly after you were too. He preferred to fight rather than come quietly and was killed in the struggle."**

_Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “They all fought. The question was when they gave up, if at all.”

**"Took a bit of me with him, though," whispered Moody to Harry's right. Harry looked around at him once more, and saw him indicating the large chunk out of his nose to Dumbledore.**

“So that’s when he lost that.” David commented under his breath.

**"No – no more than Rosier deserved!" said Karkaroff, a real note of panic in his voice now.**

**Harry could see that he was starting to worry that none of his information would be of any use to the Ministry. Karkaroff's eyes darted toward the door in the corner, behind which the Dementors undoubtedly still stood, waiting.**

**"Any more?" said Crouch.**

**"Yes!" said Karkaroff. "There was …**

Harry hesitated.

**… Dolohov …**

_Sirius_ stiffened, resisting the urge to glare at the book, seeing as it meant glaring at his godson.

**… he helped murder the McKinnons!”**

Addie closed her eyes. It was one thing to know that he was responsible for the deaths of her parents; it was something else to hear it thrown out so casually.

Her future self shuddered, feeling the same way, and got up, guiding Addie over to Sirius, before moving back to sit between _Sirius_ and Harry.

**That was a name Harry knew … one of his mother’s friends … would she have been an aunt-figure like Arabella or Mandy? Or was she his godmother …**

“I would have been.” _Addie_ said softly.

**… neither of the women had ever mentioned one to him … he didn’t even know if he had one.**

**Whoever she would have been, Harry couldn’t help feeling a surge of hatred for this unknown Death Eater for taking yet another family member from him.**

_Addie_ grasped his hand, squeezing gently.

**Karkaroff was still giving names. “Mulciber - he specialized in the Imperius Curse, forced countless people to do horrific things!**

“Another one in our year.” Remus remarked.

**Rookwood …**

At this, Addie gasped, and her future counterpart let out a cry of horror.

 **… who was a spy, and passed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named useful information from inside the Ministry itself!"** Harry finished, before anyone could ask.

“Ads, what’s wrong?” Sirius asked urgently.

Addie was looking at the book in horror. “Augustus Rookwood works in the Department of Mysteries; he works with Mum!”

“It’s worse than that.” _Addie_ whispered. “He was coming to dinner the day they d-died – Mum wanted to talk to him about something important; she had a message for him from …”

“Professor Dumbledore.” _Sirius_ finished heavily. “He wanted your mother to approach him about the Order, didn’t he?”

“I think she already had.” _Addie_ groaned. “That’s how they knew, Sirius, that’s why they came after us!”

 _Sirius_ pulled her closer, mentally adding to his list of people he could blame for losing her.

**Harry could tell that, this time, Karkaroff had struck gold.**

“That’s the name that got him out.” Sirius said darkly, stroking Addie’s hair.

**The watching crowd was all murmuring together.**

**"Rookwood?" said Mr. Crouch, nodding to a witch sitting in front of him, who began scribbling upon her piece of parchment. "Augustus Rookwood of the Department of Mysteries?"**

**"The very same," said Karkaroff eagerly. "I believe he used a network of well placed wizards, both inside the Ministry and out, to collect information -"**

“This is not good.” David murmured.

**"But Dolohov and Mulciber we have," said Mr. Crouch.**

“Good.” _Sirius_ muttered coldly.

**"Very well, Karkaroff, if that is all, you will be returned to Azkaban while we decide -"**

“Should have left him there.” Jen snarled.

**"Not yet!" cried Karkaroff, looking quite desperate. "Wait, I have more!"**

**Harry could see him sweating in the torchlight, his white skin contrasting strongly with the black of his hair and beard.**

**"Snape!" he shouted. "Severus Snape!"**

“So he did join.” James said, his voice even.

David frowned. “Then how is he cleared and working in a school?”

**"Snape has been cleared by this council," said Crouch disdainfully. "He has been vouched for by Albus Dumbledore."**

Everyone looked at _Sirius_ , who sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “As much as I loathe Snape, and I assure you nothing’s changed, he was also an invaluable spy during the first war. You yourselves admitted that he isn’t exactly the poster child for pureblood supremacy. I believe he joined Voldemort for power, yes, but he left as soon as he realised what it entailed, and turned spy.”

There was a few moments of silence, before _Addie_ said, “Wow, that was really mature of you, Padfoot.”

Hermione snorted. “Mature nothing. He slipped a mild Truth Potion into Snape’s drink at an Order meeting a week ago.”

 _Addie_ rolled her eyes. “I stand corrected. Didn’t he notice?”

“Oh, he noticed.” _Sirius_ smirked. “He just couldn’t prove anything.”

“Snape nearly killed him.” Hermione said dryly. “If Mrs Weasley hadn’t been there, I think he would have.”

Now it was _Sirius_ ’s turn to roll his eyes. “I assure you, Hermione, that I am more than a match for Snape – I did not need Molly Weasley to defend me.”

“Which is why you promptly dived behind her when she started ranting.” Ginny finished with a smirk, effectively ending the conversation.

**"No!" shouted Karkaroff, straining at the chains that bound him to the chair. "I assure you! Severus Snape is a Death Eater!"**

**Dumbledore had gotten to his feet.**

**"I have given evidence already on this matter," he said calmly. "Severus Snape was indeed a Death Eater. However, he rejoined our side before Lord Voldemort's downfall and turned spy for us, at great personal risk. He is now no more a Death Eater than I am."**

**Harry turned to look at Mad-Eye Moody. He was wearing a look of deep skepticism behind Dumbledore's back.**

“Moody doesn’t trust Snape then.” David stated, looking at _Sirius_.

“He does. Grudgingly at least.” _Sirius_ answered. “He just thinks Dumbledore’s a fool for trusting so easily. Problem with Dumbledore is that he doesn’t believe people will or can lie to him.”

**"Very well, Karkaroff," Crouch said coldly, "you have been of assistance. I shall review your case. You will return to Azkaban in the meantime …"**

**Mr. Crouch's voice faded.**

“Why?” Lily asked. “What’s happening?”

“A new memory I should think.” James answered.

**Harry looked around; the dungeon was dissolving as though it were made of smoke; everything was fading; he could see only his own body - all else was swirling darkness …**

“Yeah, that’s another memory.” James confirmed.

**And then, the dungeon returned. Harry was sitting in a different seat, still on the highest bench, but now to the left side of Mr. Crouch. The atmosphere seemed quite different: relaxed, even cheerful. The witches and wizards all around the walls were talking to one another, almost as though they were at some sort of sporting event.**

David frowned. “That’s unusual. Even in a Wizengamot meeting, we’re not that chatty until the end.”

**Harry noticed a witch halfway up the rows of benches opposite.**

**She had short blonde hair, was wearing magenta robes, and was sucking the end of an acid-green quill. It was, unmistakably, a younger Rita Skeeter.**

Jen looked confused. “They don’t often let reporters into trials, do they?”

“Depends on the trial.” David admitted.

**Harry looked around; Dumbledore was sitting beside him again, wearing different robes. Mr. Crouch looked more tired and somehow fiercer, gaunter … Harry understood. It was a different memory, a different day … a different trial. The door in the corner opened, and Ludo Bagman walked into the room.**

“What?!” Sirius and Regulus demanded in unison.

“There’s no way Bagman’s a Death Eater.” James said immediately. “He’s a bit of an idiot, yeah, but he’s not a Death Eater.”

**This was not, however, a Ludo Bagman gone to seed, but a Ludo Bagman who was clearly at the height of his Quidditch-playing fitness. His nose wasn't broken now; he was tall and lean and muscular. Bagman looked nervous as he sat down in the chained chair, but it did not bind him there as it had bound Karkaroff …**

“Does that mean he’s innocent?” Lily asked.

David chuckled. “No, if the chair could tell that, there’d be no use for a jury. No, the chair is charmed to bind those the chamber considers dangerous.”

**… and Bagman, perhaps taking heart from this, glanced around at the watching crowd, waved at a couple of them, and managed a small smile.**

**"Ludo Bagman, you have been brought here in front of the Council of Magical Law to answer charges relating to the activities of the Death Eaters," said Mr. Crouch.**

Sirius shook his head in disbelief, looking quite put out.

**"We have heard the evidence against you, and are about to reach our verdict. Do you have anything to add to your testimony before we pronounce judgment?"**

**Harry couldn't believe his ears. Ludo Bagman, a Death Eater?**

**"Only," said Bagman, smiling awkwardly, "well – I know I've been a bit of an idiot -"**

A few people chuckled.

**One or two wizards and witches in the surrounding seats smiled indulgently. Mr. Crouch did not appear to share their feelings. He was staring down at Ludo Bagman with an expression of the utmost severity and dislike.**

**"You never spoke a truer word, boy," someone muttered dryly to Dumbledore behind Harry. He looked around and saw Moody sitting there again. "If I didn't know he'd always been dim, I'd have said some of those Bludgers had permanently affected his brain …"**

“Oh!” _Addie_ said cheerfully. “I was wondering what happened to Sirius.”

 _Sirius_ rolled his eyes and poked her side, eliciting a squeal and a giggle.

“Addie, did you just giggle?” Lily asked in amusement. “And squeal?”

“No.” _Addie_ lied, glaring at _Sirius_.

“You did.” Sirius disagreed, also staring at his future self, but in awe. “How did you do that?”

 _Sirius_ smirked. “Oh, there’s a little spot, like a button, on her right side, just above her hip.”

Addie caught his hand before he could try it. “Don’t … even … think … about it.”

**"Ludovic Bagman, you were caught passing information to Lord Voldemort's supporters," said Mr. Crouch.**

“Hang on!” Sirius protested. “If the Ministry doesn’t know who Voldemort’s supporters are, how’s Bagman supposed to know?”

**"For this, I suggest a term of imprisonment in Azkaban lasting no less than -"**

**But there was an angry outcry from the surrounding benches. Several of the witches and wizards around the walls stood up, shaking their heads, and even their fists, at Mr. Crouch.**

**"But I've told you, I had no idea!" Bagman called earnestly over the crowd's babble, his round blue eyes widening. "None at all! Old Rookwood was a friend of my dad's … never crossed my mind he was in with You-Know-Who!**

“Well, if Mum didn’t know …” Addie trailed off, her grip shifting on Sirius’s hand, and he wrapped an arm around her again, kissing her forehead.

**I thought I was collecting information for our side! And Rookwood kept talking about getting me a job in the Ministry later on … once my Quidditch days are over, you know … I mean, I can't keep getting hit by Bludgers for the rest of my life, can I?"**

David snorted. “No, he can’t, but I hardly think Department Head was a good substitute. I don’t envy you, Amanda.”

Mandy started. “Why’s that?”

“You’re Assistant Head – you’ve got to clean up after him.” David pointed out.

Mandy groaned. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

**There were titters from the crowd.**

**"It will be put to the vote," said Mr. Crouch coldly. He turned to the right-hand side of the dungeon. "The jury will please raise their hands … those in favour of imprisonment …"**

“They won’t go for it.” James predicted confidently.

**Harry looked toward the right-hand side of the dungeon. Not one person raised their hand.**

James smirked, and Lily rolled her eyes. “Yes, sweetheart, you were right. Head – deflate.”

**Many of the witches and wizards around the walls began to clap. One of the witches on the jury stood up.**

**"Yes?" barked Crouch.**

**"We'd just like to congratulate Mr. Bagman on his splendid performance for England in the Quidditch match against Turkey last Saturday," the witch said breathlessly.**

David rolled his eyes. “Hardly the time.”

**Mr. Crouch looked furious. The dungeon was ringing with applause now. Bagman got to his feet and bowed, beaming.**

**"Despicable," Mr. Crouch spat at Dumbledore, sitting down as Bagman walked out of the dungeon. "Rookwood get him a job indeed … The day Ludo Bagman joins us will be a sad day indeed for the Ministry …"**

_Sirius_ groaned. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing with him.”

**And the dungeon dissolved again. When it had returned, Harry looked around. He and Dumbledore were still sitting beside Mr. Crouch, but the atmosphere could not have been more different. There was total silence, broken only by the dry sobs of a frail, wispy-looking witch in the seat next to Mr. Crouch. She was clutching a handkerchief to her mouth with trembling hands.**

“Oh Merlin …” David whispered. “I think I know whose trial this is.”

“Dad?” James asked, but his father shook his head.

**Harry looked up at Crouch and saw that he looked gaunter and greyer than ever before. A nerve was twitching in his temple.**

**"Bring them in," he said, and his voice echoed through the silent dungeon.**

**The door in the corner opened yet again. Six Dementors entered this time, flanking a group of four people. Harry saw the people in the crowd turn to look up at Mr. Crouch.**

Alice inhaled shakily. “It’s Junior’s trial, isn’t it? And that’s his mother crying.”

**A few of them whispered to one another.**

**The Dementors placed each of the four people in the four chairs with chained arms that now stood on the dungeon floor. There was a thickset man who stared blankly up at Crouch …**

“Rodolphus.” Jen stated in disgust.

**… a thinner and more nervous-looking man, whose eyes were darting around the crowd …**

“Rabastan.” Sirius supplied.

**… a woman with thick, shining dark hair and heavily hooded eyes, who was sitting in the chained chair as though it were a throne …**

“Bellatrix.” Jen spat, as Sirius muttered, “of course she was.”

**… and a boy in his late teens, who looked nothing short of petrified.**

“And there’s Barty.” Alice finished in a whisper.

**He was shivering, his straw-coloured hair all over his face, his freckled skin milk-white. The wispy little witch beside Crouch began to rock backward and forward in her seat whimpering into her handkerchief.**

“Do you think she ever believed it?” Hermione asked quietly.

 _Sirius_ sighed. “I don’t know, Hermione. I’d like to think she went to her deathbed believing in his innocence … simply because no parent should have to accept that about their child. Part of the reason why I’m glad Peter’s mother’s long-since passed on. I wouldn’t wish that on her.”

 _Addie_ patted his arm.

**Crouch stood up. He looked down upon the four in front of him, and there was pure hatred in his face.**

**"You have been brought here before the Council of Magical Law," he said clearly, "so that we may pass judgment on you, for a crime so heinous -"**

**"Father," said the boy with the straw-coloured hair. "Father … please …"**

**"- that we have rarely heard the like of it within this court," said Crouch, speaking more loudly, drowning out his son's voice.**

Everyone sat rigid, listening in horror to the tale spilling from Harry’s lips.

**"We have heard the evidence against you. The four of you stand accused of capturing an Auror – Frank Longbottom – and subjecting him to the Cruciatus Curse, believing him to have knowledge of the present whereabouts of your exiled master, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named -"**

“Why the hell would we know?!” Alice demanded suddenly, holding Neville close. “Why?!”

“I don’t know.” _Sirius_ answered softly. “I don’t know why they thought that.”

Seeing Neville looking completely out of his depth, unsure how to comfort her, Narcissa moved over to Alice, handing her a tissue. “I am so sorry …”

“It’s not your fault.” Alice said, mopping at her eyes. “You didn’t do it.”

**"Father, I didn't!" shrieked the boy in chains below. "I didn't, I swear it.**

Harry paused, as Alice let out a choked sob, and leaned over to Hermione. “For someone who hated the Death Eaters who talked their way out of Azkaban, he seems pretty intent on talking his way out of Azkaban.”

Hermione snorted. “So he’s a hypocrite as well as a maniac.”

**Father, don't send me back to the Dementors -"**

**"You are further accused," bellowed Mr. Crouch, "of using the Cruciatus Curse on Frank Longbottom's wife, when he would not give you information.**

“Is it bad that I’m slightly hurt that I’ve just been relegated to ‘Frank’s wife’?” Alice asked, smiling shakily. “I was an auror too, you know.”

David stood up and moved to sit beside Alice, as Narcissa moved to give him some room. Wrapping an arm around his goddaughter, he grasped Neville’s shoulder and nodded for Harry to continue.

**You planned to restore He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to power, and to resume the lives of violence you presumably led while he was strong. I now ask the jury -"**

**"Mother!" screamed the boy below, and the wispy little witch beside Crouch began to sob, rocking backward and forward.**

“Oh, that poor woman.” Lily whispered.

“She shouldn’t be there.” David frowned. “Neither should he, for that matter.”

**"Mother, stop him. Mother, I didn't do it, it wasn't me!"**

“I’m surprised Bellatrix didn’t drop him in it.” Sirius commented.

**"I now ask the jury," shouted Mr. Crouch, "to raise their hands if they believe, as I do, that these crimes deserve a life sentence in Azkaban!"**

“Damn right they do.” James muttered savagely.

**In unison, the witches and wizards along the right-hand side of the dungeon raised their hands. The crowd around the walls began to clap as it had for Bagman, their faces full of savage triumph. The boy began to scream. "No! Mother, no! I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't know! Don't send me there, don't let him!"**

“That poor woman …” Lily repeated, nestling into James’s arms.

**The Dementors were gliding back into the room. The boys' three companions rose quietly from their seats; the woman with the heavy-lidded eyes …**

“Was that part necessary?” Hermione asked Harry. “She was the only woman out of the four of them.”

Harry sighed. “Again, Hermione, I didn’t write this.”

**… looked up at Crouch and called, "The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban; we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us, he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone tried to find him!"**

“Oh, shut up, Bella!” Jen and Sirius yelled, on their feet now.

Remus took Jen’s hand and coaxed her back into his arms, where she sank against him, trembling. Addie slipped her arms around Sirius and pressed a kiss to his cheek, murmuring something in his ear, which caused him to relax and sit down again, pulling her on to his lap.

**But the boy was trying to fight off the Dementors, even though Harry could see their cold, draining power starting to affect him. The crowd was jeering, some of them on their feet, as the woman swept out of the dungeon, and the boy continued to struggle.**

**"I'm your son!" he screamed up at Crouch. "I'm your son!"**

**"You are no son of mine!" bellowed Mr. Crouch, his eyes bulging suddenly. "I have no son!"**

James shook his head in disgust. “No matter what he’d done …” He trailed off, refusing to say anymore.

**The wispy witch beside him gave a great gasp and slumped in her seat. She had fainted. Crouch appeared not to have noticed.**

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake!” Arabella exploded. “Disown your son – fine – but take care of your wife, at least!”

**"Take them away!" Crouch roared at the Dementors, spit flying from his mouth. "Take them away, and may they rot there!"**

**"Father! Father, I wasn't involved! No! No! Father, please!"**

**"I think Harry, it is time to return to my office," said a quiet voice in Harry's ear.**

“Busted!” Fred sang again, trying to lighten the mood.

**Harry started. He looked around. Then he looked on his other side.**

**There was an Albus Dumbledore sitting on his right, watching Crouch's son being dragged away by the Dementors – and there was an Albus Dumbledore on his left, looking right at him.**

“The one on his left must have entered the pensieve when he walked in to find Harry missing.” David remarked.

**"Come," said the Dumbledore on his left, and he put his hand under Harry's elbow. Harry felt himself rising into the air; the dungeon dissolved around him; for a moment, all was blackness, and then he felt as though he had done a slow-motion somersault, suddenly landing flat on his feet, in what seemed like the dazzling light of Dumbledore's sunlit office. The stone basin was shimmering in the cabinet in front of him, and Albus Dumbledore was standing beside him.**

**"Professor," Harry gasped, "I know I shouldn't've – I didn't mean – the cabinet door was sort of open and -"**

“And you’re a fourteen-year-old boy.” David finished.

**"I quite understand," said Dumbledore. He lifted the basin, carried it over to his desk, placed it upon the polished top, and sat down in the chair behind it. He motioned for Harry to sit down opposite him. Harry did so, staring at the stone basin. The contents had returned to their original, silvery-white state, swirling and rippling beneath his gaze.**

**"What is it?" Harry asked shakily.**

**"This? It is called a Pensieve," said Dumbledore. "I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling …**

“I didn’t.” Harry interrupted himself.

**… that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind."**

David smiled. “I would be worried if you did at that age, Harry. But generally, people use a pensieve to review memories – you can look at it from different angles – maybe hear a conversation that you don’t consciously remember.”

**"Er," said Harry, who couldn't truthfully say that he had ever felt anything of the sort.**

**"At these times," said Dumbledore, indicating the stone basin, "I use the Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one's mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one's leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form."**

Harry was nodding as he read. Reading it through again, he did understand.

**"You mean… that stuff's your thoughts?" Harry said, staring at the swirling white substance in the basin.**

**"Certainly," said Dumbledore. "Let me show you."**

**Dumbledore drew his wand out of the inside of his robes and placed the tip into his own silvery hair, near his temple. When he took the wand away, hair seemed to be clinging to it – but then Harry saw that it was in fact a glistening strand of the same strange silvery-white substance that filled the Pensieve.**

“That’s so weird.” Lily said softly. “I’ve never even heard of a spell like that.”

“That’s because it’s not really a spell.” Narcissa explained. “It’s more intent.”

**Dumbledore added this fresh thought to the basin, and Harry, astonished, saw his own face swimming around the surface of the bowl.**

**Dumbledore placed his long hands on either side of the Pensieve and swirled it, rather as a gold prospector would pan for fragments of gold … and Harry saw his own face change smoothly into Snape's …**

James closed his eyes. “There’s an image.”

Fred sighed. “And just like that, you instantly broke the glass in Dumbledore’s glasses.”

**… who opened his mouth and spoke to the ceiling, his voice echoing slightly.**

**"It's coming back … Karkaroff's too … stronger and clearer than ever …"**

Jen frowned. “There he goes again. Giving you information without context – I’m all for filling you in, but you need all or nothing, or you’re going to get yourself into trouble.”

“I don’t go looking for trouble!” Harry protested.

“Trouble finds me.” Hermione, Fred, Ginny, Neville and Draco finished.

**"A connection I could have made without assistance," Dumbledore sighed, "but never mind." He peered over the top of his half-moon spectacles at Harry, who was gaping at Snape's face, which was continuing to swirl around the bowl. "I was using the Pensieve when Mr. Fudge arrived for our meeting and put it away rather hastily. Undoubtedly I did not fasten the cabinet door properly.**

David snorted. “Please, he knew exactly what he was doing. It’s not like Fudge would need an appointment or anything.”

**Naturally, it would have attracted your attention."**

**"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled.**

**Dumbledore shook his head. "Curiosity is not a sin," he said. "But we should exercise caution with our curiosity … yes, indeed …"**

**Frowning slightly, he prodded the thoughts within the basin with the tip of his wand. Instantly, a figure rose out of it, a plump, scowling girl of about sixteen …**

_Sirius_ and _Addie_ exchanged a curious glance.

**… who began to revolve slowly, with her feet still in the basin. She took no notice whatsoever of Harry or Professor Dumbledore. When she spoke, her voice echoed as Snape's had done, as though it were coming from the depths of the stone basin.**

Harry read the next part and smirked. He’d been too distracted at the time to notice the name Bertha Jorkins had used, and he had a feeling he knew who ‘he’ was.

**"He put a hex on me, Professor Dumbledore, and I was only teasing him, sir, I only said I'd seen him kissing Addie behind the greenhouses last Thursday …"**

_Addie_ turned bright red and buried her head in _Sirius_ ’s shoulder. “Oh Merlin …”

“Be fair,” Fred smirked, “they did say Bertha walked in on a private moment.”

“Do I want to know why you were behind the greenhouses?” David asked in amusement.

 _Sirius_ shrugged. “Seemed as good a place as any.”

 _Addie_ rolled her eyes. “Translation: we’d been dating just under three weeks and _someone_ still couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.”

 _Sirius_ held up his hands. “Hey, I tried to stop you, but you were rather persist – Ow!”

 _Addie_ didn’t look at all sorry that she’d just elbowed him in the stomach. “I meant you, and you know it.”

**"But why Bertha," said Dumbledore sadly, looking up at the now silently revolving girl, "why did you have to follow him in the first place?"**

“It wasn’t that she’d followed us that was the problem.” _Addie_ said, still glaring at _Sirius_. “It was the fact that she promptly spread it around the school.”

**"Bertha?" Harry whispered, looking up at her. "Is that – was that Bertha Jorkins?"**

_Addie_ ’s glare faded as she remembered that the woman was dead.

**"Yes," said Dumbledore, prodding the thoughts in the basin again; Bertha sank back into them, and they became silvery and opaque once more. "That was Bertha as I remember her at school."**

**The silvery light from the Pensieve illuminated Dumbledore's face, and it struck Harry suddenly how very old he was looking. He knew, of course, that Dumbledore was getting on in years, but somehow he never really thought of Dumbledore as an old man.**

“Who does?” Sirius asked, frowning.

**"So, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly. "Before you got lost in my thoughts …**

Lily chuckled quietly.

**… you wanted to tell me something."**

**"Yes," said Harry. "Professor – I was in Divination just now, and – er – I fell asleep."**

**He hesitated here, wondering if a reprimand was coming, but Dumbledore merely said, "Quite understandable.**

Jen snorted. “Apparently Dumbledore knows Trelawney’s a terrible teacher too.”

“Or he knows how boring Divination can be.” Sirius pointed out fairly.

**Continue."**

**"Well, I had a dream," said Harry. "A dream about Lord Voldemort. He was torturing Wormtail … you know who Wormtail-"**

“I think he does.” James stated through gritted teeth.

**"I do know," said Dumbledore promptly. "Please continue."**

**"Voldemort got a letter from an owl. He said something like, Wormtail's blunder had been repaired. He said someone was dead. Then he said, Wormtail wouldn't be fed to the snake – there was a snake beside his chair. He said – he said he'd be feeding me to it, instead.**

Lily closed her eyes.

**Then he did the Cruciatus Curse on Wormtail - and my scar hurt," Harry said. "It woke me up, it hurt so badly."**

**Dumbledore merely looked at him.**

**"Er - that's all," said Harry.**

**"I see," said Dumbledore quietly. "I see. Now, has your scar hurt at any other time this year, excepting the time it woke you up over the summer?"**

“How did he …?” Jen trailed off, rolling her eyes. “Someone told tales.”

 _Sirius_ shook his head. “I didn’t exactly tell him. He talked it out of me.”

**"No, I - how did you know it woke me up over the summer?" said Harry, astonished.**

**"You are not Sirius's only correspondent," said Dumbledore. "I have also been in contact with him ever since he left Hogwarts last year. It was I who suggested the mountainside cave as the safest place for him to stay."**

_Sirius_ snorted. “Bullshit.”

 _Addie_ smacked his arm. “Language.”

“ _I_ came up with the mountainside cave – he spent three hours trying to talk me into leaving the country again.” _Sirius_ told them, ignoring her.

“Why would Dumbledore lie to me?” Harry asked blankly.

“So he’s the hero.” Fred cooed, batting his eyelids.

Harry stared at him. “I don’t know what that was. And I don’t want to.”

**Dumbledore got up and began walking up and down behind his desk. Every now and then, he placed his wand tip to his temple, removed another shining silver thought, and added it to the Pensieve.**

“He could at least wait until Harry’s gone.” David frowned. “Harry’s there for a reason.”

**The thoughts inside began to swirl so fast that Harry couldn't make out anything clearly: It was merely a blur of colour.**

**"Professor?" he said quietly, after a couple of minutes.**

**Dumbledore stopped pacing and looked at Harry.**

**"My apologies," he said quietly. He sat back down at his desk.**

**"D'you - d'you know why my scar's hurting me?"**

“He does.” Jen predicted. “But he won’t tell you.”

**Dumbledore looked very intently at Harry for a moment, and then said, "I have a theory, no more than that … It is my belief that your scar hurts both when Lord Voldemort is near you, and when he is feeling a particularly strong surge of hatred."**

Lily shuddered. “But that’s not the reason. That’s the reaction.”

**"But … why?"**

**"Because you and he are connected by the curse that failed," said Dumbledore.**

“But _how_?!” James asked impatiently. “I know no one else has survived the Killing Curse before, but no other failed curse reacts like this!”

**"That is no ordinary scar."**

Jen rolled her eyes. “You don’t say.”

**"So you think … that dream … did it really happen?"**

**"It is possible," said Dumbledore. "I would say – probable. Harry – did you see Voldemort?"**

“What kind of question is that?” Mandy asked.

**"No," said Harry. "Just the back of his chair. But – there wouldn't have been anything to see, would there? I mean, he hasn't got a body, has he? But … but then how could he have held the wand?" Harry said slowly.**

“He must be getting stronger.” Regulus murmured. “The snake venom …”

“If it was in the right potion,” Sirius agreed slowly. “It could …”

“It could restore a soul fragment to some sort of corporeal form.” Regulus finished. “His body was destroyed, but his soul wasn’t …”

Jen frowned. “But that doesn’t make sense. Didn’t Father say that when a Horcrux was destroyed, the soul fragment was destroyed as well? And wouldn’t his body have effectively turned into a Horcrux?”

“I don’t know.” Regulus answered thoughtfully. “Possibly not. And his soul was so unstable that …” he trailed off, into thought.

Harry waited a few seconds then, when he said no more, kept reading.

**"How indeed?" muttered Dumbledore. "How indeed …"**

**Neither Dumbledore nor Harry spoke for a while. Dumbledore was gazing across the room, and, every now and then, placing his wand tip to his temple and adding another shining silver thought to the seething mass within the Pensieve.**

**"Professor," Harry said at last, "do you think he's getting stronger?"**

“I would have said that was obvious.” Hermione said with a sigh.

Harry grimaced. “Pardon me for trying to be optimistic for once.”

**"Voldemort?" said Dumbledore, looking at Harry over the Pensieve. It was the characteristic, piercing look Dumbledore had given him on other occasions, and always made Harry feel as though Dumbledore were seeing right through him in a way that even Moody's magical eye could not.**

“Legilimency.” Jen muttered with a scowl.

**"Once again Harry, I can only give you my suspicions."**

**Dumbledore sighed again, and he looked older, and wearier, than ever. "The years of Voldemort's ascent to power," he said, "were marked with disappearances.**

David sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “That was not fun to deal with.” He said tiredly.

**Bertha Jorkins has vanished without a trace in the place where Voldemort was certainly known to be last. Mr. Crouch too has disappeared… within these very grounds. And there was a third disappearance, one which the Ministry, I regret to say, do not consider of any importance, for it concerns a Muggle. His name was Frank Bryce, he lived in the village where Voldemort's father grew up, and he has not been seen since last August.** **You see, I read the Muggle newspapers, unlike most of my Ministry friends."**

Jen frowned. “Would it really be in the papers? I mean, the book said that Frank lived alone and kept to himself. And that no one in the village cared.”

“Might get in the local paper.” Lily said. “But not the national; it’s not sensational enough.”

“It’s more likely, if the Dark Lord was responsible for the deaths of his father and grandparents,” Regulus said, “that Dumbledore kept an eye on the town. Although why …”

**Dumbledore looked very seriously at Harry.**

**"These disappearances seem to me to be linked. The Ministry disagrees – as you may have heard, while waiting outside my office."**

**Harry nodded. Silence fell between them again, Dumbledore extracting thoughts every now and then. Harry felt as though he ought to go, but his curiosity held him in his chair.**

Lily shook her head with a smile.

**"Professor?" he said again.**

**"Yes, Harry?" said Dumbledore.**

**"Er … could I ask you about … that court thing I was in … in the Pensieve?"**

**"You could," said Dumbledore heavily. "I attended it many times, but some trials come back to me more clearly than others … particularly now …"**

“Interesting that he only mentions trials, not the Wizengamot.” David remarked darkly.

**"You know – you know the trial you found me in? The one with Crouch's son? Well … were they talking about Neville's parents?"**

Alice sighed, hugging Neville to her.

**Dumbledore gave Harry a very sharp look. "Has Neville never told you why he has been brought up by his grandmother?" he said.**

**Harry shook his head, wondering, as he did so, how he could have failed to ask Neville this, in almost four years of knowing him.**

“I wouldn’t have answered.” Neville said with a sigh. “I’m not ashamed.” He repeated firmly. “I just don’t like the way people look at me when they find out.”

Harry nodded understandingly. “I get it, mate. I do.”

**"Yes, they were talking about Neville's parents," said Dumbledore. "His father, Frank, was an Auror just like Professor Moody. He and his wife were tortured for information about Voldemort's whereabouts after he lost his powers, as you heard."**

_Addie_ sighed. “It probably wasn’t just that.” She smiled weakly at Neville. “I’m sure Hermione filled you in on where I am. Whatever the reason for Voldemort attacking Harry, it could have been you as well. Bellatrix was always very vocal that she thought he’d picked the wrong child.”

**"So they're dead?" said Harry quietly.**

**"No," said Dumbledore, his voice full of a bitterness Harry had never heard there before. "They are insane. They are both in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I believe Neville visits them, with his grandmother, during the holidays. They do not recognize him."**

“I do.” Alice whispered into Neville’s hair. “I have to. There’s no way I could just forget my own son.”

**Harry sat there, horror-struck. He had never known … never, in four years, bothered to find out …**

**"The Longbottoms were very popular," said Dumbledore.**

Alice smiled weakly.

**"The attacks on them came after Voldemort's fall from power, just when everyone thought they were safe. Those attacks caused a wave of fury such as I have never known. The Ministry was under great pressure to catch those who had done it. Unfortunately, the Longbottoms' evidence was – given their condition – none too reliable."**

“Could we even give evidence?” Alice asked.

Neville shook his head. “I don’t think so. I got the impression they were caught in the act, actually, because Gran said …” he faltered. “She said the aurors had to drag me out from under Mum; she was covering me, but she wasn’t moving anymore.”

Alice tightened her hold, kissing his forehead. “Then Addie’s probably right.” She whispered. “They were trying to get you as well.”

Neville closed his eyes “I’m …”

“Don’t you dare apologise, young man.” Alice said sharply. “I’d rather go to St Mungo’s than to your funeral.”

**"Then Mr. Crouch's son might not have been involved?" said Harry slowly.**

“No, he was.” Neville said darkly.

**Dumbledore shook his head. "As to that, I have no idea."**

**Harry sat in silence once more, watching the contents of the Pensieve swirl. There were two more questions he was burning to ask … but they concerned the guilt of living people …**

“Bagman and Snape.” James guessed.

**"Er," he said, "Mr. Bagman …"**

**"… has never been accused of any Dark activity since," said Dumbledore calmly.**

“Because he was innocent.” Regulus concluded.

**"Right," said Harry hastily, staring at the contents of the Pensieve again, which were swirling more slowly now that Dumbledore had stopped adding thoughts.**

**"And … er …"**

“Eloquent, Harry.” Fred teased.

**But the Pensieve seemed to be asking his question for him.**

**Snape's face was swimming on the surface again. Dumbledore glanced down into it, and then up at Harry.**

**"No more has Professor Snape," he said.**

**Harry looked into Dumbledore's light blue eyes, and the thing he really wanted to know spilled out of his mouth before he could stop it.**

**"What made you think he'd really stopped supporting Voldemort, Professor?"**

“He won’t tell you.” Jen frowned. “I wonder what it was.”

“Legilimency, probably.” _Sirius_ said. “Maybe a few Truth Potion-laced lemon drops. Oh, and Fawkes, of course. He doesn’t exactly like Snape, but he’ll sit on his chair, which means he’s not Dark. As such.”

**Dumbledore held Harrys gaze for a few seconds, and then said, "That, Harry, is a matter between Professor Snape and myself."**

“Do you know when Snape turned?” James asked curiously.

 _Sirius_ thought for a few minutes. “No,” he said slowly. “Dumbledore never really specified who his spies were in Voldemort’s ranks.”

“But there was more than one.” Fred concluded.

 _Sirius_ surveyed him for a second. “Yes.” He said slowly. “There was more than one. But I don’t know who they were.”

**Harry knew that the interview was over; Dumbledore did not look angry, yet there was a finality in his tone that told Harry it was time to go. He stood up, and so did Dumbledore.**

**"Harry," he said as Harry reached the door. "Please do not speak about Neville's parents to anybody else. He has the right to let people know, when he is ready."**

“Like I needed to be told.” Harry said. “I didn’t even tell Ron and Hermione.”

**"Yes, Professor," said Harry, turning to go.**

**"And-"**

**Harry looked back. Dumbledore was standing over the Pensieve, his face lit from beneath by its silvery spots of light, looking older than ever. He stared at Harry for a moment, and then said, "Good luck with the third task.**

“And that is the end of the chapter.” Harry concluded, turning the page.

“What’s the next chapter called?” Hermione asked curiously.

“The Third Task.” Harry answered, suppressing a shudder.

 _Addie_ cleared her throat. “Can I suggest we continue tomorrow and get some sleep tonight?”

“Sleep?” Lily repeated incredulously. “You expect me to sleep?!”

“Mum, it’s not going to get any better.” Harry said wearily. “Maybe sleep’s a good idea.”

Lily looked torn, but didn’t back down. _Addie_ got up and moved over to her, whispering something in her ear.

Lily’s expression softened, and she nodded reluctantly. “Alright. Bed now, read tomorrow.”

Harry placed a marker in the book to save their place, and stood up, stretching. He wasn’t sure what _Addie_ had said, but he was grateful for it – he was tired as it was, and didn’t want to relive that night just yet.

They all bid each other goodnight and separated into their different rooms, Neville taking the bed that had appeared in with Fred, Draco and Harry.

“What did you say to her?” _Sirius_ asked quietly, closing the door.

 _Addie_ waved a hand over herself, silently transfiguring her clothes into a nightdress. “Who?”

“Lily.” _Sirius_ elaborated, even though he knew she knew.

 _Addie_ turned to face him and the pain in her eyes almost brought tears to her eyes. “What happens when we finish this book, Padfoot?”

“I don’t know.” _Sirius_ admitted. “We’ll have caught up, I guess.” He remembered Hermione’s question earlier that day, and closed his eyes. “And then … hopefully … we get the future as well.”

“But why?” _Addie_ asked softly. “What would be the point of us reading the future? We can’t do anything about it. Plus, why am I even here?”

“Because you’re going to escape.” _Sirius_ said firmly. “Or we’re going to rescue you. And then you are going to be part of Harry’s life, just as you should have been from the beginning.”

“But what if that’s not it?” _Addie_ whispered. “What if I’m here because … because we never get another chance to say good …” Her voice broke on the last word, but he was already shaking his head.

“No. No, that can’t be the reason, Shadow. They wouldn’t … They wouldn’t put us through that …”

“They would if they thought it was the lesser of two evils.” _Addie_ disagreed shakily, losing her battle with tears as one slipped down her cheek. “I can’t do that again, Sirius; I just can’t.”

“Then don’t.” _Sirius_ told her, pulling her into his arms. “We don’t have to say anything until this book’s finished. And that won’t be until tomorrow. That’s what you asked Lily for, right? One more night?”

 _Addie_ nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. “Just … Just make me forget, I really don’t want to think about what I’m going back to.”

“Then don’t.” _Sirius_ repeated, pressing a kiss against her pulse point. “Focus on now. On me.” His kisses dared lower as he nudged her backwards, and she sighed, willingly surrendering to the familiar dance.


	26. Chapter Twenty Four - The Third Task

Hermione awoke the next morning with dread pooling in her stomach. She wasn’t entirely sure if it was just hers, but it was unpleasant all the same.

She got up, nudging Ginny as she passed, and ducked into the bathroom to shower. By the time she emerged, Ginny was awake too, and stumbled passed her to wake up properly.

Hermione shook her head and dressed quickly, before making her way to the main meeting room.

Breakfast was already laid out, and Draco was helping himself to porridge, discussing Quidditch tactics with Harry.

Hermione took a moment to contemplate how strange it was, watching the two have an amicable conversation, and sat down on Harry’s other side. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” Harry leaned over and kissed her, handing her a cup of coffee as he did. “Sleep well?”

“Well as could be expected.” Hermione answered. “Your gut woke me up.”

“I’m sorry.” Harry said with a weak smile. “I’ll tell it to behave.”

“You’d better.” Hermione muttered. “Where’s Fred?”

Draco sniggered. “Giving himself a ketchup face mask.”

Hermione leaned forward and laughed, seeing that Fred had fallen asleep in his bacon. “Neville?”

“Shower.” Harry answered. “The others should be up soon.”

Hermione nodded. “Just remember,” she said in a low voice, so only he could hear her, “we’re all here for you and Cedric’s fine.”

“I know.” Harry responded, squeezing her hand. “But I really hope it’s from your point of view.”

Hermione grimaced. “Yeah, me too.”

An hour later, everyone had woken up and eaten their fill, so they returned to the reading area. Harry picked up the book again, while everyone settled down; _Addie_ immediately tucked herself under _Sirius_ ’s arm, curling her legs up under herself.

“Who’s reading next?” Harry asked.

“I will.” Draco offered. “It’ll probably be easier on me than anyone else.” He opened the book and removed the marker, before clearing his throat.

**Chapter Twenty Four**

**The Third Task**

Lily took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, clutching James and Harry’s hands. Today, a large sofa had been provided, and she and James were sitting at one end, Harry and Hermione in the middle, and _Sirius_ and _Addie_ at the other end.

**It had been a month since the fateful encounter outside the Forest and Mr. Crouch seemed to have vanished off the face of the planet.**

Regulus frowned, his mind ticking over, but even now in the cold light of day, he couldn’t make head or tail of it.

**On Sirius’s advice (although his letter mostly berated Harry for going anywhere on his own, especially at night and so near the Forest …**

James looked torn between agreeing and sniggering.

**… which everyone agreed was a little hypocritical) …**

“Well, it is.” Jen said fairly.

 _Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “I didn’t have someone trying to kill me.”

“No, but those rules were there for our safety and protection.” _Addie_ reminded him mildly.

**… Harry had been preparing for the Third Task by learning as many hexes, curses and jinxes as he could.**

“That’s a good idea.” David conceded.

**Ginny, Ron and Hermione were supposed to be studying for their exams, which would finish on the day of the third task, but they were putting most of their efforts into helping Harry prepare.**

Lily frowned. “I’m glad you were helping him, but …”

“I was studying as well.” Hermione assured her.

**"Don't worry about it," Hermione said shortly when Harry pointed this out to them and said he didn't mind practicing on his own for a while, "at least we'll get top marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts. We'd never have found out about all these hexes in class."**

**"Good training for when we're all Aurors," said Ron excitedly …**

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I still can’t remember telling him that’s what I wanted to do.”

**… attempting the Impediment Curse on a wasp that had buzzed into the room and making it stop dead in mid-air.**

“That’s quite impressive.” David commented. “It’s not a huge target, and a moving one as well.”

**Harry was practicing hexes at every available moment. He felt more confident about this task than either of the others.**

Lily smiled weakly. “Well, that’s something.”

**Difficult and dangerous though it would undoubtedly be, Harry had managed to find his way past monstrous creatures and enchanted barriers before now, and this time he had some notice, some chance to prepare himself for what lay ahead.**

**Tired of walking in on Harry, Hermione, and Ron all over the school …**

Sirius snorted, and Addie elbowed him in the side, knowing where his mind had gone.

**… Professor McGonagall had given them permission to use the empty Transfiguration classroom at lunchtimes.**

James beamed. “That was nice of her.”

**Harry had soon mastered the Impediment Curse, a spell to slow down and obstruct attackers; the Reductor Curse, which would enable him to blast solid objects out of his way; and the Four-Point Spell, a useful discovery of Hermione’s that would make his wand point due north, therefore enabling him to check whether he was going in the right direction within the maze.**

David was nodding. “All good spells to have.”

**He was still having trouble with the Shield Charm, though. This was supposed to cast a temporary, invisible wall around himself that deflected minor curses; Hermione managed to shatter it with a well-placed Jelly-Legs Jinx, and Harry wobbled around the room for ten minutes afterward before she had looked up the counter-jinx.**

“Hermione …” _Sirius_ began.

Hermione smiled innocently. “I know; never use a spell you can’t counter. Who said I couldn’t?”

“The book just said it took you ten minutes to find the counter-jinx.” _Addie_ reminded her, before laughing. “But he just looked funny, didn’t he?”

Hermione grinned sheepishly, as Harry looked at her in mock-outrage. “Alright, you caught me.”

**Breakfast was a very noisy affair at the Gryffindor table on the morning of the third task. The post owls appeared, bringing Harry a good-luck card from Sirius. It was only a piece of parchment, folded over and bearing a muddy paw print on its front, but Harry appreciated it all the same.**

_Sirius_ smiled, acknowledging James and Lily’s thanks.

**A screech owl arrived for Hermione, carrying her morning copy of the _Daily Prophet_ as usual. She unfolded the paper, glanced at the front page, and spat out a mouthful of pumpkin juice all over it.**

“Well, that’s not good.” Addie summarised.

“What now?” Lily asked. “Had they found Crouch?”

**"What?" said Harry and Ron together, staring at her.**

**"Nothing," said Hermione quickly, trying to shove the paper out of sight, but Ron grabbed it.**

**He stared at the headline and said, "No way. Not today. That old cow."**

Lily groaned. “Skeeter? Again?”

**"What?" said Harry. "Rita Skeeter again?"**

**"No," said Ron, and just like Hermione, he attempted to push the paper out of sight.**

Fred snorted. “You two are terrible actors.”

“Only with Harry.” Hermione refuted with a smirk.

**"It's about me, isn't it?" said Harry.**

“No.” Sirius answered. “What on earth made you think that?”

**"No," said Ron, in an entirely unconvincing tone. But before Harry could demand to see the paper Pansy Parkinson shouted across the Great Hall from the Slytherin table.**

**"Hey, Potter! Potter!**

Regulus groaned and dropped his head into his hands. “Does no one in Slytherin understand the meaning of the word ‘subtle’ anymore?”

**How's your head? You feeling all right? Sure you're not going to go berserk on us?"**

**Pansy was holding a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ too. Slytherins up and down the table were sniggering, twisting in their seats to see Harry's reaction.**

Now it was Narcissa’s turn to groan, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I hope you weren’t one of them.”

Draco smirked slightly. “No, I was facing the Gryffindors anyway – I knew something going to happen. I just didn’t know what.”

**"Let me see it," Harry said to Ron. "Give it here."**

**Very reluctantly, Ron handed over the newspaper. Harry turned it over and found himself staring at his own picture, beneath the banner headline:**

**'HARRY POTTER DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS'**

“WHAT?!” Lily shrieked.

James winced, and leaned away from her. “Lily, I agree with you, but would you watch the volume?”

“How dare she?!” David hissed. “He’s fourteen! Where the hell were the teachers?!”

**_The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is unstable and possibly dangerous, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alarming evidence has recently come to light about Harry Potter's strange behaviour, which casts doubts upon his suitability to compete in a demanding competition like the Triwizard Tournament …_ **

“What, and being underage wasn’t good enough?!” Lily demanded.

**_… or even to attend Hogwarts School._ **

**_Potter, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, regularly collapses at school …_ **

Harry rolled his eyes. “It happened _once_.”

**_… and is often heard to complain of pain in the scar on his forehead (relic of the curse with which You-Know-Who attempted to kill him). On Monday last, midway through a Divination lesson, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter storming from the class, claiming that his scar was hurting too badly to continue studying._ **

“I don’t remember reading about Skeeter.” Addie frowned, forestalling Lily’s next complaint.

“Neither do I.” Remus agreed. “She can’t have been in the classroom – she’s not allowed in the school.”

“I’d say she was making it up,” Jen added, “but that did actually happen, if not quite so dramatically.”

**_It is possible, say top experts at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potter’s brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You- Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar is still hurting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion._ **

“Oh, yes.” Harry said, rolling his eyes. “It’s not like I’m the only person who’s survived the Killing Curse or anything.”

**_"He might even be pretending," said one specialist. "This could be a plea for attention."_ **

By this point, Lily had given up speaking. She was shaking with rage, and Hermione stifled a smirk, thinking about what Rita was in for when the Potters finally returned.

**_The Daily Prophet, however, has unearthed worrying facts about Harry Potter that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has carefully concealed from the wizarding public._ **

**_"Potter can speak Parseltongue," reveals Theodore Nott, a Hogwarts fourth year._ **

“He should know better.” Regulus scowled. “His father would have taught him pureblood politics.”

“Yeah, because that’s the only reason it’s wrong!” James snapped.

Regulus rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say it was, Potter. I’m just saying that even if Nott is despicable enough to stoop that low, you’d think he’d be smart enough not to.”

**_"There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people thought Potter was behind them after they saw him lose his temper at a duelling club and set a snake on another boy._ **

“Here we go again.” Hermione scowled.

**_It was all hushed up, though. But he's made friends with werewolves and giants too._ **

“Half-giant.” Jen corrected through gritted teeth. “What is with people believing that open-mindedness is a precursor to evil?”

**_We think he'd do anything for a bit of power."_ **

“This coming from a Slytherin.” Sirius muttered.

**_Parseltongue, the ability to converse with snakes, has long been considered a Dark Art._ **

**_Indeed, the most famous Parselmouth of our times is none other than You-Know-Who himself. A member of the Dark Force Defense League, who wished to remain unnamed, stated that he would regard any wizard who could speak Parseltongue "as worthy of investigation. Personally, I would be highly suspicious of anybody who could converse with snakes, as serpents are often used in the worst kinds of Dark Magic, and are historically associated with evildoers."_ **

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Lily sighed, resting her head on James’s shoulder.

“Lily, it was probably a pureblood that was a result of so much inbreeding that he couldn’t tell his arse from his mouth.” Jen said soothingly.

**_Similarly, "anyone who seeks out the company of such vicious creatures as werewolves and giants would appear to have a fondness for violence."_ **

Her calm disappeared, and she glared at the book. “Too bad they didn’t name him. Maybe I could show him just how fond of violence _I_ can be.”

**_Albus Dumbledore should surely consider whether a boy such as this should be allowed to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Some fear that Potter might resort to the Dark Arts in his desperation to win the tournament, the third task of which takes place this evening._ **

Lily closed her eyes, gritting her teeth, and James kissed her forehead, stroking her hair.

**“Gone off me a bit, hasn’t she?” Harry asked lightly, helping himself to more bacon.**

“That was it?” Remus asked incredulously.

Harry shrugged. “Decided to take a leaf out of Hermione’s book. She wanted a reaction, so did the Slytherins, so I didn’t give them one.”

**Laughter was floating over from the Slytherin table, but no one bothered looking – the snakes weren’t exactly original in their insults.**

**“How did she know your scar hurt in Divination?” Ron asked quietly. “There’s no way she was there, there’s no way she could have heard …”**

“Exactly.” Addie nodded.

**“The window was open.” Harry pointed out. “I opened it to breathe.”**

“No, that wouldn’t do it.” Remus disagreed.

**“You were at the top of North Tower!” Ginny argued. “There’s no way you screamed that loudly.”**

**“She’s right.” Hermione agreed. “Your voice couldn’t have carried all the way down to the grounds.”**

**“Well, you’re the one who’s supposed to be researching magical methods of bugging.” Harry said. “You tell me how she did it!”**

**“I’ve been trying!” Hermione protested. “But I … but …” She trailed off, running her finger through her hair slowly, an odd, dreamy expression crossing her face.**

“Were you alright?” Mandy asked.

Hermione smiled. “I was fine.”

**“Are you alright?” Ron asked, frowning.**

**“Yeah …” Hermione glanced over her shoulder towards the Slytherin table and brought her hand up to her mouth, as though she was talking into an invisible walkie-talkie.**

“What are you doing?” Alice asked, bewildered.

Hermione smiled. “Remembering. While we were training one day, we saw Nott out on the grounds, looking just like that.”

“What’s a walkie-talkie?” James asked.

“It’s like a set of radios, sweetheart.” Lily explained. “You have one, your friend has the other, and you can talk through them. Like the mirrors, but you can’t see each other.”

“Mirrors?” Harry asked.

“Your dad and I had two-way mirrors.” _Sirius_ explained with a reminiscent smile. “We used to use them to talk to each other in separate detentions.”

**Harry and Ron stared at each other.**

**“I’ve had an idea.” Hermione murmured, gazing into space. “I think I know … because then no one would be able to see … even Moody …”**

“You’ve had an idea.” Jen concluded. “What?”

Hermione just smiled. **  
**

**“Wait …” Ginny said slowly. “You’re not thinking …”**

**“My hair …” Hermione nodded.**

Addie frowned, then gasped. “Of course!”

“What?” Sirius asked, but she shook her head, waving for Draco to continue.

**“And she’d have been able to get onto the window ledge … but she’s not allowed …”**

**“She’s definitely not allowed …” Ginny agreed. “I think we’ve got her!”**

**“Just give me two seconds in the library – just to make sure!” Hermione seized her schoolbag and dashed out of the Great Hall.**

**“Oi!” Ron called after her. “We’ve got out History of Magic exam in ten minutes!”**

“Skeeter can wait.” David muttered.

**“I’ll go after her.” Ginny got up as well and followed Hermione at a sprint.**

**“Blimey, Hermione must really hate that Skeeter woman to risk missing the start of an exam.” Ron commented.**

“Oh, I do.” Hermione said with relish.

Harry smiled at her. “You’re terrifying sometimes, you know that?”

**“What’re you going to do in Binns’s class – read again?”**

**Exempt from the end-of-term tests as a Triwizard champion, Harry had been sitting at the back of every exam class so far, looking up fresh hexes for the third task.**

**“S’pose so.” Harry shrugged, but just then, Professor McGonagall came walking along the Gryffindor table towards him.**

**“Potter, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast.” She told him.**

Lily frowned. “Why?”

David looked thoughtful. “From what I remember from my readings, the champions’ families are invited to watch the final task.”

“Surely Petunia wouldn’t be there.” Lily said.

“She won’t, but we will.” Mandy said firmly, Arabella nodding in agreement. “I’m sure of it.”

**“But the task’s not ‘til tonight!” Harry protested, accidentally spilling scrambled eggs down his front …**

Lily sighed, smiling fondly. “Well, at least you’re eating this time.”

**… afraid he’d mistaken the time.**

**“I’m aware of that, Potter.” McGonagall removed the eggs with a wave of her wand. “The champions’ families are invited to watch the final task, you know. This is simply a chance for you to greet them.”**

**“She doesn’t really expect the Dursleys to turn up, does she?” Harry asked, gaping after her.**

Mandy pouted. “I’m hurt, Harry.”

Harry grinned at her. “Sorry. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting you.”

**“Dunno.” Ron shrugged. “I’d better hurry; I’m going to be late. See you later.”**

**Harry took his time finishing breakfast, even while Fleur, Cedric and Viktor left the Hall to greet their parents.**

**He had no family …**

Hermione hit him upside the head. “That’s not true, you know that.”

**… no family who would turn up to see him risk his life, anyway – well, except for Jess …**

Again, Lily closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer of thanks to whoever was listening.

**… but he doubted they’d have contacted her – there was no point in going into the chamber.**

**Just as he was considering going to the library to do a spot more hex revision …**

Hermione shook her head. “I will never get you in the library that willingly again.”

**… the door to the chamber opened and Cedric stuck his head out.**

**“Harry, come on! They’re waiting for you!”**

**Utterly perplexed, Harry got up. The Dursleys couldn’t possibly be here, could they? He walked across the Hall and opened the door into the chamber.**

**Cedric and his parents were just inside the door.**

Addie grimaced, but said nothing.

**Viktor Krum was over in a corner, conversing with his dark-haired mother and father in rapid Bulgarian. He had inherited his father’s hooked nose.**

Fred sniggered. “Of all the things to notice, Harry.”

**On the other side of the room, Fleur was jabbering away in French to her mother. Fleur’s little sister, Gabrielle, was holding her mother’s hand. She waved at Harry, who waved back.**

“Aww.” Lily cooed.

“You’ve got a little fan, Harry.” Hermione said with a grin.

Harry rolled his eyes.

**“Harry!”**

**Harry broke into a grin. “Mandy! Arabella! What are you doing here?”**

Arabella rolled her eyes. “Sight-seeing.”

**“Oh, we thought we’d drop by and teach all the suits of armour how to tap-dance.” Mandy answered breezily.**

“I like mine better.” Mandy smirked.

**“Or we’ve come to watch the third task.” Arabella chuckled as they both embraced him. “Why did you think we were here?”**

**Harry muttered something about not really expecting anyone, but then he caught sight of the two people standing behind them. “Mrs Weasley! Bill!”**

Lily beamed. “That was nice of them!”

**Mrs Weasley hugged him tightly. “Surprise! Thought we’d come and watch you.”**

**“Well done with the dragon.” Bill said, shaking Harry’s hand. “Charlie couldn’t stop talking about it.”**

**Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Mandy nudge Arabella and point out Fleur, who was eyeing Bill with interest over her mother’s shoulder.**

The boys whistled, and Alice rolled her eyes. “Anything in it?”

“Well,” Fred smirked, “I wouldn’t like to say, but Miss Delacour has recently taken a job at Gringotts to ‘eemprove ‘er Eenglish, and Bill’s been giving her a few … private lessons.”

**The rest of the morning was taken up by a stroll around Hogwarts, as Mrs Weasley reminisced at length about the gamekeeper before Hagrid – a man called Ogg – and Mandy and Arabella chatted about their Hogwarts days, with stories that made Harry and Bill laugh, but mostly left Mrs Weasley with a rather tight-lipped expression.**

“Oh yeah.” Harry grinned. “That reminds me. Who was it that managed to transfigure his ears into hands because he wasn’t paying attention?”

Everyone turned to look at Sirius, who turned red and tried to hide behind Addie.

“I’d forgotten that.” His future self remarked.

 _Addie_ gave him a worried look, but didn’t say anything.

**At lunch time, they met up with Ron and Hermione in the Great Hall.**

“Ron nearly had a heart attack when he saw Mum.” Ginny smirked.

**As soon as the Weasleys were distracted with the rest of their family, Mandy and Arabella took Harry aside to talk.**

Lily beamed at them again.

**“We got Hermione’s letter.” Mandy told him. “And Remus apologises for not being here, but it’s a full moon tonight and he’s not feeling too well.”**

“That explains things.” Remus sighed. “I was wondering where I was.”

Jen squeezed his hand. “You’d have been there if you could.”

**“This woman,” Arabella continued, before Harry could say anything, “Jessica – how reliable are her dreams?”**

“Very.” Harry and Hermione answered in unison.

**“Extremely.” Harry answered. “She’s been dead-on, so far.”  
Mandy and Arabella exchanged a loaded look.**

“You’re worried.” Jen stated darkly.

“Can you blame us?” Mandy asked.

**“Tell us you haven’t just been preparing for a maze.” Mandy said quietly.**

**“I currently know more hexes and jinxes than most of the fifth years.” Harry said dryly.**

David took a shaky breath. “Good. That’s good.”

**“Good.” Arabella stated firmly. “Let’s just hope you don’t need them.”**

**That evening, after an impressive feast …**

“It was incredible.” Fred said, trying to keep the mood up.

**… everyone made their way down to the Quidditch pitch. It was now completely unrecognisable, with a twenty-foot-high hedge running all the way around the edge of it.**

James let out a whimper, and Lily patted his hand with a small smile. “It’s alright, sweetheart. They’ll fix it.”

**There was a gap right in front of the champions: the entrance to the vast maze. The passage beyond it looked dark and creepy.**

“Where’d all the poetic descriptions go?” Fred whined.

“Dark and creepy summed it up.” Harry said quietly.

Hermione smiled at Fred over Harry’s head, knowing what he was trying to do, and appreciating the effort.

**The spectators filled the stands, chatting excitedly. The sky was a deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear. Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick came walking into the stadium and approached Bagman and the champions. They were wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the back of his moleskin vest.**

**"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," said Professor McGonagall to the champions. "If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?"**

Lily nodded slowly. “Well, at least there’s that.”

**The champions nodded.**

**"Off you go, then!" said Bagman brightly to the four patrollers.**

**"Good luck. Harry," Hagrid whispered …**

James smiled shakily. “Good old Hagrid.”

**… and the four of them walked away in different directions, to station themselves around the maze. Bagman now pointed his wand at his throat, muttered, "Sonorus," and his magically magnified voice echoed into the stands, announcing the third task and their goal, before giving a rundown of the points.**

**"So… on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" said Bagman. "Three - two - one -"**

Lily grabbed James’s hand and closed her eyes.

**He gave a short blast on his whistle, and Harry and Cedric hurried forward into the maze.**

**The towering hedges cast black shadows across the path, and, whether because they were so tall and thick or because they had been enchanted, the sound of the surrounding crowd was silenced the moment they entered the maze.**

“Probably both.” Hermione frowned. “We couldn’t see a thing.”

**Harry felt almost as though he were underwater again. He pulled out his wand, muttered, "Lumos," and heard Cedric do the same just behind him.**

**After about fifty yards, they reached a fork. They looked at each other.**

**"See you," Harry said, and he took the left one, while Cedric took the right.**

“I’d have felt better if you’d stuck together.” Addie whispered. “It’s a Hogwarts victory either way.”

Harry just managed to hide a flinch, and he slipped an arm around Hermione’s waist, pulling her closer.

**Harry heard Bagman's whistle for the second time. Krum had entered the maze. Harry sped up. His chosen path seemed completely deserted. He turned right, and hurried on, holding his wand high over his head, trying to see as far ahead as possible. Still, there was nothing in sight.**

“That’s not right.” Regulus said quietly. “He should have met something by now.”

“Maybe he’s just lucky.” Arabella suggested optimistically.

Sirius shook his head. “No. No, I think Reg’s right and whoever put his name in the Goblet wants Harry to get to the cup.”

**Bagman's whistle blew in the distance for the third time. All of the champions were now inside.**

**Harry kept looking behind him. The old feeling that he was being watched was upon him.**

**The maze was growing darker with every passing minute as the sky overhead deepened to navy.**

“Couldn’t they have done it during the day?” Lily whispered shakily.

**He reached a second fork.**

**"Point Me," he whispered to his wand, holding it flat in his palm.**

**The wand spun around once and pointed toward his right, into solid hedge. That way was north, and he knew that he needed to go northwest for the centre of the maze. The best he could do was to take the left fork and go right again as soon as possible.**

**The path ahead was empty too, and when Harry reached a right turn and took it, he again found his way unblocked.**

**Harry didn't know why, but the lack of obstacles was unnerving him.**

“It’s unnerving us as well.” Mandy murmured.

**Surely he should have met something by now? It felt as though the maze were luring him into a false sense of security.**

James kissed Lily’s head and got up to pace up and down behind the sofa.

**Then he heard movement right behind him. He held out his wand, ready to attack, but its beam fell only upon Cedric, who had just hurried out of a path on the right-hand side.**

**Cedric looked severely shaken. The sleeve of his robe was smoking.**

“Looks like Cedric’s not having the same problem.” Sirius remarked, resting his head atop Addie’s.

“No, he’s got a whole other one.” She retorted, without any bite. She hated to admit it, but she was quite worried about Cedric.

**"Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts!" he hissed.**

Lily groaned. “Great.”

**"They're enormous – I only just got away!"**

“Really?” Jen asked, sounding almost amused. “The Skrewts weren’t enough; they had to enlarge them?!”

**He shook his head and dived out of sight, along another path. Keen to put plenty of distance between himself and the Skrewts, Harry hurried off again. Then, as he turned a corner, he saw …**

“Oh no …” Lily whispered.

**A Dementor gliding towards him.**

“Dumbledore would not let a Dementor on to the grounds.” Jen said firmly, before Lily could panic. “It’s probably a Boggart.”

**Twelve feet tall, its face hidden by its hood, its rotting, scabbed hands outstretched, it advanced, sensing its way blindly toward him. Harry could hear its rattling breath; he felt clammy coldness stealing over him, but knew what he had to do…**

**He summoned the happiest thought he could, concentrated with all his might on the thought of getting out of the maze and celebrating with Ron and Hermione …**

Hermione smiled, resting her head on Harry’s shoulder.

**… raised his wand, and cried, "Expecto Patronum!"**

**A silver stag erupted from the end of Harry's wand and galloped toward the Dementor …**

“It was a powerful Patronus.” Hermione remarked. “We saw it from the stands. Well, the glow of it, anyway. We’d guessed this had happened.”

**… which fell back and tripped over the hem of its robes … Harry had never seen a Dementor stumble.**

“That’s how you knew to trip it up during the last book.” Alice realised.

**"Hang on!" he shouted, advancing in the wake of his silver Patronus, "You're a Boggart! Riddikulus!"**

**There was a loud crack, and the shape-shifter exploded in a wisp of smoke.**

“Nicely done.” Remus commented.

**The silver stag faded from sight. Harry wished it could have stayed, he could have used some company …**

Hermione smiled softly. “Your dad was with you anyway, Harry – Lily stayed with me, because she couldn’t bring herself to watch, but James stayed with you.”

Harry smiled as well, and James paused in his pacing to clasp his son’s shoulder.

**… but he moved on, quickly and quietly as possible, listening hard, his wand held high once more.**

**Left… right… left again… Twice he found himself facing dead ends. He did the Four-Point Spell again and found that he was going too far east. He turned back, took a right turn, and saw an odd golden mist floating ahead of him.**

“What is that?” Mandy asked nervously.

“It sounds like …” David and Regulus began together. The younger man smirked slightly, and sat back, silently yielding the floor.

“It sounds like Limbo Mist.” David continued. “Stepping into it appears to reverse gravity – you end up upside down, as it were.”

“So how do you get past it?” Lily asked.

“By keeping a cool head and moving on.” Regulus answered. “Harry isn’t in any danger from it – it’s harmless. Just a little disconcerting.”

**Harry approached it cautiously, pointing the wand's beam at it. This looked like some kind of enchantment. He wondered whether he might be able to blast it out of the way.**

“Won’t work.” Regulus said.

**"Reducto!" he said.**

**The spell shot straight through the mist, leaving it intact. He supposed he should have known better; the Reductor Curse was for solid objects. What would happen if he walked through the mist? Was it worth chancing it, or should he double back?**

“Wait.” Lily whispered. “Let one of the others get to the cup first.”

“Is that really what we want, Lily?” Addie asked. “If Regulus is right, and their goal is for Harry to win, and Mr Potter’s right about the portkey, then it makes sense for that portkey to be the Triwizard Cup, right?”

“Right.” Lily frowned. “I guess. But what …?”

“If Regulus is right again,” Addie continued, “then Voldemort doesn’t want Harry dead – at least at first. Which would give Harry time to escape. But if one of the other three shows up? Would he use them in whatever ritual it is, or would he just kill them?”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Lily admitted softly. “So basically, whatever happens, this isn’t going to end well.”

**He was still hesitating when a scream shattered the silence.**

“Oh Merlin …” Alice whispered. “Who?”

**"Fleur?" Harry yelled.**

“You were sure?” Addie asked shakily.

“Female voice.” Harry answered flatly.

“We heard that.” Hermione remarked, shifting closer to Harry. She just hoped that it switched to her point of view rather than going to the graveyard.

**There was silence. He stared all around him. What had happened to her? Her scream seemed to have come from somewhere ahead. He took a deep breath and ran through the enchanted mist.**

**The world turned upside down. Harry was hanging from the ground, with his hair on end, his glasses dangling off his nose, threatening to fall into the bottomless sky.**

“That’s so weird …” Arabella whispered.

**He clutched them to the end of his nose and hung there, terrified. It felt as though his feet were glued to the grass, which had now become the ceiling. Below him the dark, star-spangled heavens stretched endlessly. He felt as though if he tried to move one of his feet, he would fall away from the earth completely.**

**Think, he told himself, as all the blood rushed to his head, think …**

“Difficult to think in that position, I should think.” Fred remarked.

“Just a bit.” Harry agreed.

**But not one of the spells he had practiced had been designed to combat a sudden reversal of ground and sky. Did he dare move his foot?**

**He could hear the blood pounding in his ears. He had two choices – try and move, or send up red sparks, and get rescued and disqualified from the task.**

“Gryffindor pride.” Hermione muttered fondly.

**He shut his eyes, so he wouldn't be able to see the view of endless space below him, and pulled his right foot as hard as he could away from the grassy ceiling.**

**Immediately, the world righted itself.**

David smiled slightly. “I know we’re worrying about this, but well done.”

**Harry fell forward onto his knees onto the wonderfully solid ground.**

**He felt temporarily limp with shock. He took a deep, steadying breath, then got up again and hurried forward, looking back over his shoulder as he ran away from the golden mist, which twinkled innocently at him in the moonlight.**

**He paused at a junction of two paths and looked around for some sign of Fleur. He was sure it had been she who had screamed. What had she met? Was she all right?**

“Was she?!” Lily demanded.

“Lily,” Jen said soothingly. “Fred just said that Bill was teaching Fleur English, remember? So clearly she was eventually.”

**There was no sign of red sparks – did that mean she had got herself out of trouble, or was she in such trouble that she couldn't reach her wand?**

Lily let out a squeak, and Harry released Hermione to wrap an arm around her.

**Harry took the right fork with a feeling of increasing unease … but at the same time, he couldn't help thinking. One champion down …**

“Harry!” Lily protested weakly.

“It was for a split-second, Mum.”

**The cup was somewhere close by, and it sounded as though Fleur was no longer in the running. He'd got this far, hadn't he? What if he actually managed to win? Fleetingly, and for the first time since he'd found himself champion, he saw an image of himself, raising the Triwizard Cup in front of the rest of the school …**

Harry shook his head. “I should have known it would never be that easy.”

**He met nothing for ten minutes, but kept running into dead ends. Twice he took the same wrong turning. Finally, he found a new route and started to jog along it, his wandlight waving, making his shadow flicker and distort on the hedge walls.**

**Then he rounded another corner and found himself facing a Blast-Ended Skrewt.**

Lily let out another whimper, and Harry tightened his grip on her. “It’s alright, Mum. I’m here; I’m fine.”

**Cedric was right - it was enormous. Ten feet long …**

“Oh sweet Merlin …” Arabella whispered.

“It’s probably a good thing we _couldn’t_ see anything.” Hermione said faintly. “I’d have had a heart attack.”

**… it looked more like a giant scorpion than anything. Its long sting was curled over its back.**

“Oh Merlin …” _Addie_ whispered.

**Its thick armour glinted in the light from Harry's wand, which he pointed at it.**

**"Stupefy!"**

“Not a good idea!” Jen warned. “Make sure you duck the rebound.”

**The spell hit the Skrewt's armour and rebounded; Harry ducked just in time …**

“Good boy.” Jen murmured, relaxing slightly.

**… but could smell burning hair; it had singed the top of his head.**

“I’m fine.” Harry repeated, as Lily turned her worried gaze towards him.

**The Skrewt issued a blast of fire from its end and flew forward toward him.**

Addie bit back a scream and gripped Sirius’s hand tightly.

**"Impedimenta!" Harry yelled. The spell hit the Skrewt's armour again and ricocheted off; Harry staggered back a few paces and fell over.**

**"IMPEDIMENTA!"**

**The Skrewt was inches from him when it froze he had managed to hit it on its fleshy, shell-less underside.**

David breathed a sigh of relief. “Now get going.”

**Panting, Harry pushed himself away from it and ran, hard, in the opposite direction – the Impediment Curse was not permanent; the Skrewt would be regaining the use of its legs at any moment.**

“Well done.” James muttered, sinking into the seat beside Lily.

**He took a left path and hit a dead end, a right, and hit another …**

“Calm down, sweetheart.” Lily whispered. “Just calm down.”

**… forcing himself to stop, heart hammering, he performed the Four-Point Spell again, backtracked, and chose a path that would take him northwest.**

**He had been hurrying along the new path for a few minutes, when he heard something in the path running parallel to his own that made him stop dead.**

“What now?” Lily moaned.

**"What are you doing?" yelled Cedric's voice.**

“What’s he yelling at?” Sirius asked.

“Krum, maybe?” Jen guessed.

**"What the hell d'you think you're doing?"**

**And then Harry heard Krum's voice.**

**" _Crucio!_ "**

“What the …?”

Shouts filled the room, only to be interrupted by a piercing whistle. Silence fell, and everyone looked at Hermione, who simply tapped her head.

“She’s right.” Mandy said after a few minutes. “Her empathy. Krum’s not Dark.”

“So why did he use the …?” Sirius trailed off, staring at the book. “Imperius. Someone’s put him under the Imperius; probably the same person that got rid of Fleur. They’re trying to take out Harry’s competition.”

“Who though?” Arabella whispered.

Sirius shook his head hopelessly. “I have no idea.”

**The air was suddenly full of Cedric's yells.**

Alice shuddered, tugging Neville closer to her.

**Horrified, Harry began sprinting up his path, trying to find a way into Cedric's. When none appeared, he tried the Reductor Curse again.**

“Normally, I’d tell you off for cheating,” Lily said, “but given the circumstances …”

**It wasn't very effective, but it burned a small hole in the hedge through which Harry forced his leg, kicking at the thick brambles and branches until they broke and made an opening; he struggled through it, tearing his robes, and looking to his right, saw Cedric jerking and twitching on the ground, Krum standing over him.**

“Poor kid.” _Addie_ whispered.

**Harry pulled himself up and pointed his wand at Krum just as Krum looked up. Krum turned and began to run.**

“That definitely suggests Imperius.” Jen frowned. “If he was just doing it to win, he’d have attacked Harry as well.”

**"Stupefy!" Harry yelled.**

**The spell hit Krum in the back; he stopped dead in his tracks, fell forward, and lay motionless, facedown in the grass.**

“Not bad.” David remarked.

**Harry dashed over to Cedric, who had stopped twitching and was lying there panting, his hands over his face.**

**"Are you all right?" Harry said roughly, grabbing Cedric's arm.**

**"Yeah," panted Cedric. "Yeah… I don't believe it… he crept up behind me… I heard him, I turned around, and he had his wand on me…"**

**Cedric got up. He was still shaking. He and Harry looked down at Krum.**

**"I can't believe this… I thought he was all right," Harry said, staring at Krum.**

“That should have told you something.” Ginny said quietly. “Your instincts are hardly ever wrong.”

**"So did I," said Cedric.**

**"Did you hear Fleur scream earlier?" said Harry.**

**"Yeah," said Cedric. "You don't think Krum got her too?"**

“No.” Harry answered in a whisper. Everyone heard him, but no one asked.

**"I don't know," said Harry slowly.**

**"Should we leave him here?" Cedric muttered.**

“Oh, they can’t.” Mandy whispered.

**"No," said Harry. "I reckon we should send up red sparks.**

Lily smiled approvingly.

**Someone'll come and collect him… otherwise he'll probably be eaten by a Skrewt."**

Fred shuddered. “I wouldn’t wish that on _anyone_.”

**"He'd deserve it," Cedric muttered, but all the same, he raised his wand and shot a shower of red sparks into the air, which hovered high above Krum, marking the spot where he lay.**

**Harry and Cedric stood there in the darkness for a moment, looking around them.**

**Then Cedric said, "Well … I s'pose we'd better go on …"**

**"What?" said Harry. "Oh … yeah … right …"**

_Addie_ sighed, resting her head on _Sirius_ ’s shoulder. She knew what would happen and that Cedric and Harry were both alright, but that wouldn’t make it any easier to listen to.

**It was an odd moment. He and Cedric had been briefly united against Krum, now the fact that they were opponents came back to Harry. The two of them proceeded up the dark path without speaking, then Harry turned left, and Cedric right.**

“I’d still feel better if they were together.” Lily whispered. “Because whoever it is wouldn’t be able to attack Cedric without alerting Harry, and then Harry would call for help, and they’d call this stupid Tournament off.”

**Cedric's footsteps soon died away.**

**Harry moved on, continuing to use the Four-Point Spell, making sure he was moving in the right direction. It was between him and Cedric now.**

“Hogwarts victory.” James remarked.

“James!” Lily hissed. “Does that really matter?”

“No.” James conceded. “I’d just rather focus on that than what might happen.”

**His desire to reach the cup first was now burning stronger than ever, but he could hardly believe what he'd just seen Krum do.**

**The use of an Unforgivable Curse on a fellow human being meant a life term in Azkaban, that was what Moody had told them. Krum surely couldn't have wanted the Triwizard Cup that badly …**

“Who would?” Jen asked. “Especially a world-famous Quidditch player who’s already got eternal glory.”

**Harry sped up. Every so often he hit more dead ends, but the increasing darkness made him feel sure he was getting near the heart of the maze. Then, as he strode down a long, straight path, he saw movement once again, and his beam of wand-light hit an extraordinary creature, one which he had only seen in picture form, in his Monster Book of Monsters.**

“Oh, Merlin, what now?” Alice whispered.

**It was a sphinx.**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s alright then. As long as Harry keeps his head and doesn’t get cocky, he’ll be fine.”

**It had the body of an over-large lion: great clawed paws and a long yellowish tail ending in a brown tuft. Its head, however, was that of a woman. She turned her long, almond-shaped eyes upon Harry as he approached. He raised his wand, hesitating.**

“No, don’t use magic.” David murmured. “That’s not a good idea.”

**She was not crouching as if to spring, but pacing from side to side of the path, blocking his progress. Then she spoke, in a deep, hoarse voice.**

**"You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me."**

“Turn around.” Narcissa whispered. “Turn around, and go another way.”

**"So… so will you move, please?" said Harry, knowing what the answer was going to be.**

**"No," she said, continuing to pace. "Not unless you can answer my riddle. Answer on your first guess - I let you pass. Answer wrongly – I attack. Remain silent – I will let you walk away from me unscathed."**

**Harry's stomach slipped several notches. It was Hermione who was good at this sort of thing, not him.**

Hermione blushed. “Thanks, Harry.”

**He weighed his chances. If the riddle was too hard, he could keep silent, get away from the sphinx unharmed, and try and find an alternative route to the centre.**

“It never hurts to listen.” Regulus stated.

**"Okay," he said. "Can I hear the riddle?"**

**The sphinx sat down upon her hind legs, in the very middle of the path, and recited:**

**_"First think of the person who lives in disguise,_ **

**_Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies._ **

**_Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,_ **

**_The middle of middle and end of the end?_ **

**_And finally give me the sound often heard_ **

**_During the search for a hard-to-find word._ **

**_Now string them together, and answer me this,_ **

**_Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"_ **

“A Skrewt?” Sirius suggested.

Addie sniggered. “Somehow, I doubt that’s the answer.”

**Harry gaped at her.**

**"Could I have it again … more slowly?" he asked tentatively.**

“She’ll repeat it as many times as you’d like.” David told the students. “As long as you answer correctly on your first try.”

**She blinked at him, smiled, and repeated the poem. "All the clues add up to a creature I wouldn't want to kiss?" Harry asked.**

**She merely smiled her mysterious smile.**

**Harry took that for a "yes."**

“Good boy.” Lily whispered.

**Harry cast his mind around. There were plenty of animals he wouldn't want to kiss; his immediate thought was a Blast-Ended Skrewt …**

“Ha!” Sirius smirked.

**… but something told him that wasn't the answer.**

“Ha!” Addie mocked.

“Shut up.” Sirius muttered, pouting.

**He'd have to try and work out the clues…**

**"A person in disguise," Harry muttered, staring at her, "who lies… er… that'd be a - an impostor. No, that's not my guess!**

“It’s alright.” Jen assured Lily, when she gasped. “The answer the sphinx will take is the answer to the whole riddle, not just one of the clues.”

**A - a spy?**

“A spider.” Addie said confidently. “That’s the answer.”

Sirius gaped at her. “How’d you get there?”

“The last thing to mend is the letter ‘d’.” Addie smirked. “As is the middle of ‘middle’ and the end of ‘end’. And a sound when you’re not sure of the word is ‘er’. Spy – d – er. Spider.”

Sirius let out a soft chuckle, kissing the side of her head. “You’re brilliant, you know that?”

**I'll come back to that… could you give me the next clue again, please?"**

**She repeated the next lines of the poem.**

**"'The last thing to mend,'" Harry repeated. "Er… no idea… 'middle of middle'… could I have the last bit again?"**

**She gave him the last four lines.**

**“‘The sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-find word,’” said Harry. "Er …**

“Exactly.” Ginny smirked.

**… that'd be… er… hang on - 'er'! Er's a sound!"**

**The sphinx smiled at him.**

**"Spy … er … spy … er …" said Harry, pacing up and down. “A creature I wouldn't want to kiss… a spider!"**

Lily beamed, but her smile faded as she realised that put Harry closer to the cup, not further away.

**The sphinx smiled more broadly. She got up, stretched her front legs, and then moved aside for him to pass.**

**"Thanks!" said Harry, and, amazed at his own brilliance …**

Remus snorted. “James.”

**… he dashed forward.**

**He had to be close now, he had to be … His wand was telling him he was bang on course; as long as he didn't meet anything too horrible, he might have a chance …**

Lily groaned. “Don’t jinx yourself, Harry.”

**Harry broke into a run. He had a choice of paths up ahead. "Point Me!" he whispered again to his wand, and it spun around and pointed him to the right-hand one. He dashed up this one and saw light ahead.**

**The Triwizard Cup was gleaming on a plinth a hundred yards away.**

There was a sharp intake of breath, and then silence.

“Well?!” Sirius demanded.

Draco shrugged. “End of the chapter.”

“Give me that.” Ginny sighed, taking the book from him. “And we’re back to Hermione’s point of view.”

“Oh, thank Merlin.” Harry breathed. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”


	27. Chapter Twenty Five - An Imposter

Ginny cleared her throat.

**Chapter Twenty Five**

**An Imposter**

“An imposter?!” Lily squeaked. “Who?”

“Whoever put Harry’s name in the Goblet must have been impersonating someone.” Regulus frowned. “But who that person is … I don’t know.”

**Hermione was, once again, questioning the wisdom of whoever had thought up the Triwizard Tasks.**

“Aren’t we all?” Jen muttered.

**The hedges of the maze were so tall and the pathways so dark that even the spectators in the Quidditch stands wouldn’t be able to see what was happening.**

“We couldn’t.” Hermione repeated.

**As days went, it hadn’t been amazing so far, which didn’t exactly fill Hermione with confidence – aside from an incredibly tedious History of Magic exam …**

There were a few noises of sympathy.

**… that new Skeeter article was ridiculous.**

**_Harry Potter – Disturbed and Dangerous …_ ** **Hermione had never read such rubbish in her life – and that included every single one of Lockhart’s books.**

“Don’t hold back, Mya.” Fred smirked. “Tell us how you really feel.”

**Since when did being a decent person with an open mind translate as dark?**

“Since always.” Jen sighed, leaning against her boyfriend. “Unfortunately.”

**Clearly, Hermione was the only person surprised by this revelation – Ron had read the article with a scowl, but seemed resigned, and Mandy and Arabella had been angry, but not surprised.**

“That’s because we’re realists.” Arabella grimaced.

**The two women were sitting beside Hermione in the stands, and beside them Bill and Mrs Weasley were watching attentively, as the four champions gathered at the entrance of the maze.**

**The only good thing that had come out of the article was the renewed revelation that Skeeter was somehow getting interviews from the Slytherins, despite not being allowed on the grounds.**

“Ah, are we about to get an explanation?” James asked.

Hermione shrugged. “I don’t know.”

**This time, however, Hermione was struck by an idea. She thought that maybe – just maybe – she knew what Rita was up to and if she was right the woman was in for a world of trouble.**

“She is.” Addie smirked.

**She had just finished explaining her idea to Ginny into an undertone …**

“Didn’t Ginny figure it out as well?” Lily frowned.

“Not that idea.” Hermione smiled wryly. “I had an idea to handle it if we were right.”

**… when the conversation in the stands lulled to silence.**

**The first stars had just started to appear, though sunset was still several hours away, and Dumbledore had raised his hands for silence.**

“Say what you like about Dumbledore,” Narcissa remarked, “he does have a way with crowd control.”

**Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Moody and Hagrid, their hats (or in Hagrid’s case, his moleskin coat) adorned with red stars, had moved to stand at the outside of the maze.**

**“They’re the security.” Mandy whispered to Hermione. “If a champion gets into trouble, they can send up red sparks and they’ll be rescued.”**

**“We offered to do it.” Arabella added.**

“Why didn’t you?” Lily asked. “I’d have felt better.”

**“But Dumbledore felt we were too close to Harry.”**

“Oh.” She sighed. “That’s understandable.”

**“That’s understandable.” Hermione murmured.**

**“Ladies and gentlemen!” Bagman boomed. “The third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each – Mr Cedric Diggory and Mr Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!”**

Everyone applauded, James and Sirius whistling loudly.

**The Hogwarts students exploded. Behind Hermione, Fred and George whistled loudly.**

Hermione rolled her eyes with a fond smirk.

**“In second place, with eighty points – Mr Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!”**

**Hermione clapped, noticing as she did so that Karkaroff was very quiet.**

“Well, that’s odd.” Jen frowned.

**Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him applauding, but he seemed subdued for some reason.**

“Think he knows that something’s going to happen?” James asked.

Regulus frowned. “I don’t know … I’d have thought he’d have run for it already if he did.

**“And in third place, with sixty-four points – Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy.”**

**As they clapped, more out of politeness than anything else, Harry glanced up and caught Hermione’s eye, waving at them.**

**They all waved back, and Hermione sat back on the bench, taking a deep breath to keep her empathy under control.**

“Good idea.” _Addie_ murmured.

**“The aim of this task is for the champions to make their way to the centre of this maze, where the Triwizard Cup awaits. Upon touching the cup, these hedges will vanish …**

“Which means the cup’s already charmed.” Regulus concluded. “Which means one more charm won’t be noticed.”

**… and we will discover our winner. On my whistle, Harry, Cedric,” Bagman said with a grin. “Three … two … one …” He lifted the whistle to his lips and gave a short, sharp blast.**

**As Harry and Cedric disappeared into the maze, Hermione sighed, realising that she had been right. There was no way of telling what was going on in there and to whom.**

“It was awful.” Hermione whispered.

**Mandy put an arm around her shoulders. “Are you alright?”**

**“Just worried.” Hermione whispered. “Someone …”  
Mandy squeezed her shoulder. “It’ll be alright, Hermione. A couple of hours, and this’ll all be over, thank Merlin.”**

“Why do I get the feeling that’s wishful thinking?” Mandy asked with a sigh.

**Hermione smiled weakly. “It must’ve been awful for you.”**

**“Oh, it has.” Arabella sighed. “We couldn’t do a thing to help him.”**

**“As per usual.” Mandy frowned. “I’m genuinely surprised Lily hasn’t come back from the dead to curse us.”**

Lily disentangled herself from her boyfriend and future son, and crossed the room to hug Mandy and Arabella. “It’s not your fault.” She told them firmly. “You’re there now, and that’s all that matters.”

**“Hermione, tell her she’s being ridiculous.” Lily said absently, from Hermione’s other side, as the second whistle blew. She was sitting between Hermione and Ginny, who had left a space between them for the spirit, muttering that she felt weird about sitting ‘in’ someone, even if she couldn’t see them.**

“I’m sure my spirit thanks you.” Lily said lightly, returning to her seat.

**But Hermione said nothing this time – she still hadn’t told Mandy and Arabella about the Potters, and here and now was hardly the time to do it.**

“No, it’s not.” Arabella agreed.

**“It wasn’t your fault.” Hermione said quietly after a few minutes. “You thought Harry was safe – why would you doubt it?”**

**The third whistle blew, as Mandy shrugged. “I suppose so.” She turned to Hermione. “Harry’s been training, right?”**

“Didn’t you ask Harry that earlier?” Remus asked.

“I’m probably just making sure.” Mandy said. “Or I’m nervous. I do tend to repeat myself when I’m nervous.”

**Hermione nodded. All four Marauders (because Remus had added a postscript to Mandy and Arabella’s reply) had instructed Harry to go _nowhere_ alone or with anyone who wasn’t someone he _knew_ wasn’t responsible for his current predicament. They had also advised that he armed himself with a secure knowledge of jinxes and hexes just in case.**

“Thank you.” James and Lily said together.

**“Of …” Hermione paused, as a gasp ran around the stands. A silvery glow had appeared in the maze, but it vanished swiftly. “That … Was that a Patronus?”**

“Yes.” Harry answered.

**“It certainly looked like one.” Arabella frowned. “Why would anyone cast a Patronus?”**

**Hermione frowned. “A Boggart, maybe? Harry’s Boggart is a Dementor – maybe his first thought was a Patronus.”**

“Good guess.” _Addie_ complimented.

**“I hope he’s alright.” Mandy fretted. “We hardly need him unconscious …”**

**“He’ll be fine.” Arabella soothed. “A light that strong would have to have come from a corporeal – the Boggart would have stumbled at least.”**

“I guess we know who the calm one is.” Sirius smirked.

“That’s why Arabella took to Healing spells better.” _Sirius_ remarked.

**“Speaking of corporeal Patronuses,” Ginny commented, “guess what Harry taught Hermione while he was training.”**

“So that’s when.” Jen murmured.

**Hermione blushed, as the two women turned to stare at her.**

**“You too?” Mandy asked. “Impressive. What form does it take?”**

**“An otter.” Hermione mumbled.**

“It’s not anymore though.” Addie said.

Hermione smiled softly. “Things change.”

**“An interesting …” Fred began.**

**“… form.” George finished.**

“Why?” Regulus asked curiously.

**“Boys …” Ginny warned.**

**“We couldn’t help …”**

**“… overhearing and we …”**

**“… also couldn’t help realising …”**

**“.. that a Patronus-Otter …”**

**“… or a P-Otter …”**

**“… is a lengthened version …”**

**“… of Potter.”**

“Oh.” Regulus smirked. “I think you might be looking a little too much into it.”

Fred grinned. “Probably. Still fun to rile them up though.”

**“Ginny?” Hermione prompted, hearing two smacks as her sister met her mark. “Of course we’re been training.” She continued, as though the interruption hadn’t happened. “We’ve been training for weeks.”**

**“We?” Arabella questioned knowingly.**

**“Well, yeah.” Ron said from Hermione’s other side. “You didn’t think we’d let Harry do it on his own, did you?”**

James smiled, glad his son had such good friends.

**Mandy chuckled. “No, we didn’t.”**

**It wasn’t just Ron, Hermione and Ginny either. James and Lily had watched over them and given them hundreds of tips and advice that hadn’t been in the books.**

Lily smiled. “At least we could do something.”

**At that moment a scream cut through the chatter of the crowd, and everyone fell silent.**

**“That was Fleur.” Mandy whispered. “Not Harry.”**

**There was an anxious wait, while Moody abandoned his post to speak to Hagrid, who strode into the maze.**

“He was watching her already.” _Sirius_ muttered darkly, too quiet for anyone but _Addie_ to hear. She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

**When he emerged, he was carrying the Beauxbatons champion, who was lying motionless in her arms.**

**The judges converged on her, while the crowd sat silent with bated breath.**

**“Miss Delacour has been hit with a Stunning Spell.” Bagman announced. “She is officially out of the Tournament.”**

“And no one thought that was strange?!” Lily demanded.

“I nearly Stunned myself, remember?” Harry said gently. “It’s not their fault.”

**“A Stunning Spell?” Hermione repeated. “What in that maze would cast a Stunning Spell?”**

**“The Skrewts?” Ginny suggested. “Not actually cast it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Hagrid put some in there – their armour’s thick enough to cause a rebound.”**

“Not bad.” David remarked, causing her to blush.

**“That’s true.” Hermione agreed, though she didn’t believe it for one second, and one glance at Mandy and Arabella told her that they didn’t either.**

“Good, good.” _Sirius_ said absently. “Means they haven’t lost their instincts.”

**She glanced at Lily, who was bouncing up and down in her seat, chewing her lip nervously.**

**Clearing her throat slightly, to get her attention, Hermione shrugged and nodded to the maze. _Why aren’t you in there?_**

**“I can’t do it.” Lily whispered. “I can’t watch him go through all that in there and not be able to help him … James is with him.”**

Lily nodded, unable to imagine what she must be going through.

**Hermione nodded slightly, leaning into Mandy’s embrace as they worried silently about Harry.**

**More than ten minutes passed without incident and Hermione had just started to relax …**

“Don’t ever do that.” Harry advised. “That’s the most dangerous time.”

**… when screams rent the air again.**

**Her heart clenched as the crowd erupted.**

**“Who is it?”**

**“What’s happening?”**

**“That’s Cedric.” Hermione whispered. “I’m sure of it.”**

“You could tell from a scream?” Jen asked.

“It wasn’t Harry, and there was no accent.” Hermione shrugged. “Process of elimination.” **  
**

**“You’re sure?” Arabella asked, her face white. “Positive?”**

**“They might be screaming, but Viktor would still have an accent.” Hermione said shakily. “And the voice is too deep to be Harry’s – he’s still a bit squeaky.”**

“Hermione!” Harry protested. **  
**

**“Hermione!” Ron protested.**

“Thank you, Ron.” Harry muttered.

**Hermione rolled her eyes. “He’s not here, Ron; get over it.”**

**A few minutes later, red sparks flew into the air and hovered there. Once again, Hagrid entered the maze, this time accompanied by Professor Flitwick.**

**But when they returned, it was Viktor who was with him, unconscious just like Fleur.**

“Confused the hell out of me.” Hermione admitted.

**Again, the judges bent over him and, again, Bagman announced that it was a Stunning Spell that was responsible.**

“Again, no one started worrying?!” Lily demanded.

“We did.” Hermione sighed. “No one else seemed to.”

**As the Hogwarts students began to buzz, realising that whoever reached the cup first, Hogwarts had won the Tournament, Hermione closed her eyes, carefully measuring her breathing.**

**Something wasn’t right. Nothing in that maze would be able to harm the champions like that; there was no way a rebounding spell had caught both of them.**

“It’s possible.” David conceded. “But highly unlikely.”

**And besides, if Viktor had been Stunned, how had he sent up the sparks?**

**She voiced this, and Ginny frowned. “Maybe Harry or Cedric was nearby. They sent up the sparks so that he wouldn’t get hurt by something else.”**

Ginny paused. “Huh. I was on fire that night.”

**“Mad-Eye would have seen someone else in the maze, Hermione.” Mandy assured her.**

“Yes, he would.” David frowned.

**“The only other people in there with Viktor are Harry and Cedric. Now I don’t know Cedric, but Harry would never …”**

“Neither would Cedric.” Fred said. **  
**

**“Neither would Cedric.” Hermione said with certainty. “But somebody did.”**

**“Maybe Krum attacked one of them and they stunned him in self-defence.” Ron suggested.**

Hermione gasped. “Holy Hell, Ron was actually right about something for once!”

“Isn’t holy hell a bit of an oxymoron?” Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged. “Your point?”

**Hermione didn’t bother berating him. “Maybe.” She said diplomatically.**

**“What’s your you-know-what telling you?” Ginny asked quietly.**

**Hermione hesitated and closed her eyes, letting her empathy expand.**

“Be careful.” _Addie_ warned.

**She was hit with a barrage of emotions and retreated almost instantly, trying to figure them out.**

**“Something’s not right.” She whispered. “There’s someone out there … it’s excitement …**

“Surely everyone was feeling that.” Draco frowned.

Ginny sighed tiredly. “ _If_ you’d let me finish.”

**… but not … not what the spectators are feeling …**

“Ah.” Draco said quietly.

**… they’re waiting for something …”**

**“What?” Ginny asked. “And who?”**

**Hermione shook her head hopelessly, tears springing to her eyes.**

_Addie_ held out an arm, and Hermione scooted over to allow the woman to wrap it around her. _Sirius_ shifted to hold Hermione as well.

**“I don’t know, Ginny … there’s too many people and the emotion’s too strong. But whoever put Harry’s name in the Goblet is here somewhere and something’s going to happen.”**

“And we couldn’t do anything.” Hermione whispered.

**“Something’s wrong with Karkaroff.” Ron said, frowning. “His champion’s been stunned – again. Harry said he went mental last time. Why’s he so quiet?”**

**“Doesn’t want to draw attention to himself.” Hermione guessed. “If I’m right, and Si – Snuffles is right, when this plan comes to completion, Karkaroff’s going to bolt. He won’t want You-Know-Who back.”**

Regulus shook his head. “Not that I don’t agree with you, Hermione, but if Karkaroff knew something was going to happen, he’d have bolted already.”

“Then why was he so quiet?” Hermione asked.

“I don’t know.” Regulus admitted. “I’m having trouble understanding his actions at all.”

**“But …” Ginny gasped and leapt to her feet, as did everyone else.**

“What’s happened?” James asked hastily.

**The hedges shimmered and vanished, as Harry and Cedric, the former leaning heavily on the latter …**

“Harry?” Lily asked worriedly.

“There was an Acromantula.” Harry told them hoarsely. “Cedric and I reached the cup at the same time, but the thing attacked us and we fought it off, and then … he wanted me to take it, but I suggested we take it together.”

**… lifted the Cup together.**

James squeezed Harry’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you.”

Harry looked up. “But … you’ve all agreed that no one should touch the cup.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t know that.” James said. “And you did the right thing. Whatever came next is not your fault.”

**Cheers of jubilation changed to screams of terror as the two boys vanished …**

Lily closed her eyes as their theories were confirmed, but she still had a word of comfort for Harry. “James is right. You had no way of knowing the cup was a portkey.”

**… and celebration turned to panic.**

**In the chaos, Hermione didn’t bother with sign language, turning to Lily immediately. “Where did they go?”**

“No one noticed?” _Addie_ asked.

“Everyone was too busy panicking.” Hermione assured her.

**“I don’t know.” Lily admitted shrilly. “James has gone with them. Oh Merlin, Hermione, why the hell does this always happen to _my son_?!”**

“An excellent question, Lily.” _Sirius_ grimaced. “One I still don’t have the answer to.”

**Hermione didn’t answer, wondering the same thing herself. She pushed her way along the row to the stairs, and flew down them, sprinting out to the middle of the field, where Harry had vanished from.**

**Voices called after her, but no one attempted to stop her, as she sank to the ground, sobbing.**

_Sirius_ kissed the top of her head, and _Addie_ rubbed her arm comfortingly.

Addie watched them almost sadly, and Sirius nudged her. “What’s wrong?”

“They look like a family.” She whispered. “But they’re not.”

“But they should be.” Sirius murmured, catching on. “We should be.”

**Arms wrapped around her, and she, Mandy and Arabella waited in that three-way hug, unable to move or do anything more than cry.**

Tears were falling down Lily’s cheeks as well, but she wasn’t quite as hysterical, probably because she had Harry in a death grip and he was talking softly to her.

**Almost an hour later, still nothing had changed.**

“It took that long?” Harry asked, distracted.

“Felt longer.” Hermione whispered.

**The initial panic had died down now, and people in the stands were starting to get restless. The judges were huddled together talking in whispers, and several people were crowded around them, trying to eavesdrop.**

Remus rolled his eyes. “All of the judges?”

“Karkaroff had disappeared by then.” Ginny told him. “No one saw him leave.”

**Hermione had stopped crying, and had taken to pacing up and down in the place the Cup had vanished from. “We should have known.” She said in a low voice.**

“Hindsight’s 20-20.” Jen said thickly. “It’s not your fault.”

**“Known what?” Mandy asked quietly.**

**“That this would happen.” Hermione said thickly. “Touch of cup brings respite’s end. I just assumed it meant the Goblet of Fire. I never …” She fell into silence.**

**“It’s not your fault, dear.” Lily said, silent tears streaming down her face. “There was nothing you …” She vanished abruptly …**

Lily looked up, fear clouding her face, and Hermione hastened to reassure her. “You’re fine! I’ve seen you recently, you’re still alright.”

“What made me disappear like that?” Lily asked, some of the colour returning.

“It’ll explain.” Hermione told her heavily.

**… and Hermione stopped, staring at the spot she’d previously occupied.**

**“Hermione?” Arabella asked. “What’s wrong?”**

**“Nothing.” Hermione replied, resuming her pacing.**

“That wasn’t the time either.” Hermione said, smiling weakly. “Aside from anything else, I had no way of telling who might be listening.”

**Lily was fine, she told herself. There was nothing to worry about.**

**“This is ridiculous.” Mandy stated, getting up from her spot on the ground. “There must be something we can do.”**

“Better catch up, Ara.” Sirius said, attempting to inject some humour into the situation. “Someone’ll need to hold her back.”

Mandy stuck her tongue out at him. “Ha-ha. Very funny.”

“Well, that’s mature.” Sirius snickered.

“Padfoot, don’t bait her.” Addie said tiredly. “Talon, don’t encourage him.”

**“Mandy …” Arabella hurried after her as she strode off towards the judges.**

**Hermione smiled slightly. She knew from experience that the two women could be quite protective when it came to Harry – she didn’t envy the judges having to deal with them.**

The two girls smirked slightly, though they were dampened by worry.

**She hadn’t even glanced at the judges to see if Karkaroff was still with them; if he wasn’t, that was the least of their problems.**

**There was a soft thud and she stopped abruptly again, her pacing interrupted by the sudden arrival of Harry and Cedric, slumped on the ground with the Triwizard Cup.**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived. “Were they alright? They were alright, right?”

“Mum …” Harry whispered. “Mum, I’m right here.”

**“Harry …” Hermione whispered, dropping to her knees beside him.**

**Their return was quite unremarkable, and no one seemed to have noticed them besides Hermione herself.**

“Really?” David asked.

Fred sighed. “We were all watching the judges. And their return wasn’t exactly loud.”

**She should shout, scream, gain their attention, but her throat seemed unable to work, and her gaze was fixed on Harry’s dirt-streaked, pale face.**

Lily tightened her hold on her son, and James kissed her head. “He’s alright, Lils.”

**“Harry …” Hermione repeated, touching his face. “Harry?”**

**Harry finally looked up, and she bit back a gasp when she met his eyes. Far from the vibrant emerald orbs they had been that morning, they were now hollow … dead …**

“Oh Merlin …” Addie whispered. “What’s …?”

**… and seemed to look right through her. “He’s back …” he whispered hoarsely.**

The atmosphere in the room seemed to run cold, and Harry and Hermione drew their wands, conjuring their Patronuses, which emanated comforting warmth.

“We knew that was going to happen.” Regulus said dully.

“Doesn’t make it easier to hear.” Jen retorted.

**“What?” Hermione asked.**

“I thought he was in shock.” Hermione admitted.

**His hands gripped her robes tightly, pulling her closer, and she could see the small cuts on his face, the tears in his robes. “He’s back, Mione … He’s back … Cedric … asked me … couldn’t leave him …”**

“Well, of course you couldn’t leave him.” Arabella said practically. “He might have been older than you, but he’s hardly a trained auror.”

**It seemed a strange statement, Hermione thought; of course Harry wouldn’t leave Cedric wherever they had been – why would he?**

Jen bit her lip, clinging to Remus’s hand. The book had yet to mention Cedric saying anything …

**James and Lily appeared at that moment, both shaken and crying, but she didn’t have time to dwell on the relief of their reappearance, because Harry’s mention of Cedric had drawn Hermione’s attention to the fact that the Hufflepuff hadn’t spoken – or, indeed, moved – since their return.**

“No …” Mandy whispered, her face pale.

**Her heart fell into her stomach, when she realised that not only was Cedric very still, but his eyes were wide open, and they were staring up at the stars unseeing.**

Lily’s own eyes widened, and she choked back a sob.

**With a shaky hand, Hermione reached out to touch his face, letting her fingers trail over his cold skin to his neck. She found nothing, no sign of life beating beneath them.**

**He was dead.**

Alice clapped a hand to her mouth, tears springing to her eyes. “Oh Merlin!”

“He’s not dead.” _Addie_ contradicted softly.

“What?” James asked, trying to comfort Lily, who was crying.

“He’s not dead.” _Addie_ repeated. “He’s with me. It’s that fake curse again.”

“Who?!” Sirius asked. “Who did it?!”

Harry flinched. “Can we read about it? I don’t think …”

Ginny cleared her throat and kept reading.

**As soon as that hit her, with all the force of a bludger, she screamed, her voice echoing through the dark grounds.**

“That was terrifying.” Fred said darkly. “We couldn’t see very clearly, and you just suddenly screamed … We thought _you’d_ been attacked.”

**Mandy and Arabella reached them first …**

Lily relaxed slightly.

**… and Mandy checked Harry over with trembling hands as Arabella bent over the young man beside them.**

**Harry had yet to release Hermione’s robes, and she gently disentangled his grip, taking his hand instead, feeling it clamp down on her fingers, clinging to her like a lifeline. His gaze had moved back to Cedric now, staring at him in a mixture of bewilderment and horror.**

“Oh, Harry …” Lily whispered miserably.

Harry opened his mouth to reassure her, but nothing came out.

**“Harry!” Mandy called softly. “Harry, sweetheart, can you tell me what happened?”**

**“He’s back …” Harry repeated shakily, although he didn’t seem to have heard her. “Voldemort … he’s back …”**

**“I think that’s fairly obvious, Harry.” Arabella said dryly, straightening up.**

“Isn’t badly-placed humour normally my job?” Mandy asked lightly.

Arabella rolled her eyes. “Maybe some things have changed.”

**“I’m no expert, Talon, but I’d say that’s the … Shit.”**

“Oh, what now?” Addie asked.

**“What?” Mandy asked, still trying to get Harry’s attention.**

**“Amos is coming.” Arabella said, moving forward.**

“Go and stop him.” James said.

“James, Harry …” Lily protested.

“Harry has Hermione.” James reminded her. “I can’t stand Amos, but he doesn’t deserve to find out his son’s dead by seeing his dead body.” His hand grasped Harry’s shoulder, leaving no one in any doubt about what he was thinking.

**Mandy looked up and cursed under her breath. “Hermione, stay with him. Don’t go _anywhere_.”**

Hermione flinched, and _Addie_ tightened an arm around her shoulders, glancing at _Sirius_ questioningly. He smiled weakly, and kissed Hermione’s head. “It wasn’t your fault.” He whispered.

**She got to her feet as well, and the two women swept away to intercept Cedric’s parents.**

_Addie_ sighed, resting her head on _Sirius_ ’s shoulder. She didn’t like Amos – could almost go as far to say that she hated him, except there were other people (Dolohov, for example) who deserved that label more – but no one deserved pain like that.

**A moment later, their anguished cries reached the two …**

“He’s still alive.” _Addie_ repeated. “When I left him, he was perfectly healthy, and perhaps a little confused.”

“Confused?” Draco asked.

“I’d only just got round to asking about people.” _Addie_ explained. “I think I was too scared to beforehand. He told me what happened to Sirius, and I laughed. A lot. I thought he was kidding.”

**… and Hermione flinched, pushing her empathy down as far as she could. She could feel Harry shaking beside her and moved closer, wrapping her other arm around his shoulders. She wanted to give him words of comfort, but everything got lost on the way to her mouth as she battled against the fear and sadness that swirled around the castle, making her head pound even _with_ her shields.**

_Addie_ squeezed Hermione’s hand again.

**“It’s alright, Miss Granger – help me get him up to the castle.”**

David narrowed his eyes. “Who’s that?”

**Hermione looked up at Professor Moody …**

“Shit!” Sirius groaned. “That’s it.”

“What’s it?” James asked, looking startled.

“He’s not the real Moody.” Sirius stated tiredly. “He was attacked before school started; he was going to help Harry out with the dragons; he gave Neville the book about plants that tipped Harry off to the Gillyweed; he’s got the Marauders Map, which means he was the only person in the school who might have known Crouch was there; and he could see through the hedges to curse the other champions. Plus future-me said that Moody never used Unforgivables if he could help it and he demonstrated them.”

“I think he’s right.” David said heavily. “It certainly explains why Alastor’s been acting so strangely. I don’t believe he would take Harry into the castle without Dumbledore’s say-so.”

Addie was looking at Sirius with a certain amount of admiration. “Why do you insist on acting like an idiot sometimes?”

“Because if you’re underestimating me, everyone else will be as well.” Sirius answered, brushing his fingers against the nape of her neck and making her shiver.

**… furrowing her brow at the strange expression on his face. It looked like concern, but it seemed out of place on the grizzled old auror. “Mandy and Arabella said not to go anywhere.”  
“He needs to lie down.” Moody insisted. “Come on.”**

**Hermione hesitated only a second more.**

Hermione was shaking her head, her eyes watering. “I shouldn’t have listened.” She whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Hermione!” Harry managed to disentangle himself from Lily, and reached out to her. “Hermione, this is _not_ your fault. You keep telling me not to blame myself for what happened to Cedric …”

“You didn’t know the cup was a portkey!” Hermione protested.

“And you didn’t know Moody was a fake.” Harry responded calmly, finally confirming Sirius’s theory. Lily groaned, and pulled Harry back to her and James.

“Harry’s right, Kitten.” _Sirius_ said softly. “He was a teacher and you should have been able to trust him.”

**Moody was an ex-auror, and running a critical eye over her best friend, she could see that his robes and trousers were ripped on one leg, exposing bloody skin.**

Lily let out a scream, and Harry hastily pulled his trouser leg up. “I’m fine. See?”

“What happened?” James demanded, as Lily checked him over.

“The Acromantula.” Harry answered, grimacing. “It had me about twenty feet up, and then Cedric managed to hit it with a Stunner and it dropped me and fell on me.”

**Lying here on the ground was not going to do him any good.**

“Well, that’s true.” Lily muttered, apparently satisfied with what she didn’t find.

“I’d have made the same decision, Hermione.” Jen said softly. “It’s not your fault.”

**They hauled Harry to his feet and Hermione slipped under his arm, as they half-carried him into the castle, hearing him answer Moody’s questions in a dull monotone, clearly in shock.**

Lily rested a cheek on Harry’s head, as he curled up next to her, looking smaller than ever.

**She was busy trying not to look down at Harry’s leg, and was trying not to pay attention to what actually happened – not yet – when Moody’s voice cut through her self-imposed mental block.**

**“You duelled with the Dark Lord?”**

“Oh Merlin …” James let out a shaky breath, and tightened his grip on Lily and Harry.

**Hermione let out a quiet moan, her heart thudding so loud that she was sure the other two could hear it.**

**“Got away …” Harry muttered. “My wand … did something funny … saw my mum and dad …”**

“How?” Alice asked shakily.

Addie closed her eyes. “Remember the first book? Harry’s wand shares a core with Voldemort’s.”

“But what does that _mean_?” Lily pressed. “We couldn’t work it out then either.”

“When brother wands are forced to duel, one wand will force the other to regurgitate shadows of the last spells it performed in reverse.” Regulus told her. “Priori Incantatem – the reverse spell effect.”

**Hermione frowned, trying to work out what that might be. She glanced at James and Lily, but they were thoroughly distracted, Lily by sobbing hysterically, James by attempting in vain to comfort her.**

“Whatever we saw must have been awful.” Lily whispered. “Why did I disappear?”

“Regulus just told you.” Hermione said softly. “Voldemort’s wand should have expelled an echo of the transportation spell, but for whatever reason it sucked in your spirits and expelled them in vapour form.”

“It really was you.” Harry muttered into Lily’s shoulder.

**“In here, lad. Come and sit down.” Moody opened the door to his office and ushered the two Gryffindors inside. Hermione guided Harry to a chair and sat him down, glancing around at the various Dark Detectors.**

“He disabled his Sneakoscope.” Jen groaned. “Remember? He told us about it.”

“Dammit!” David groaned. “How did no one notice?!”

“Good question.” _Sirius_ muttered.

**On any other day, she would be fascinated, but right now her attention was solely on her best friend.**

**Moody produced a flask of Pepper-Up Potion …**

“It was just Pepper-Up Potion.” Hermione hastened to assure everyone.

**… and tipped it against Harry’s lips. “Drink it … you’ll feel better … Come on, Harry … you’ll be alright.”**

**Harry swallowed the potion and coughed, steam pouring from his ears, but his eyes seemed to focus again, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.**

**“Voldemort’s back, Harry?” Moody questioned.**

“Uh oh.” Regulus muttered.

“What?” David asked wearily. “What did you hear that I didn’t?”

“I told you – using the Dark Lord’s real name causes the Mark to burn briefly.” Regulus said. “That’s why most Death Eaters don’t use it. The rest of them don’t use it because they feel it’s a show of disrespect. The fact that whoever’s impersonating Moody _is_ using it suggests that he a) doesn’t care about the pain and b) believes himself to be so close to the Dark Lord that he can get away with it.”

“In other words, he’s worse than Bella.” _Sirius_ concluded.

Regulus shrugged. “Haven’t seen her at her worst yet, but probably.”

**“How did he do it?”**

**“He took stuff from his father’s grave, and from Wormtail, and from me.” Harry muttered.**

“Was that the ritual you were thinking of?” Mandy asked.

Jen nodded grimly. “Bone of the father, flesh of the servant, blood of the enemy … I think. I might be wrong.”

**“What did the Dark Lord take from you?” Moody asked in a whisper.**

**“Blood.”**

“Suggests you’re right.” Remus muttered. “So Peter literally gave his right arm to bring Voldemort back?”

“Hand actually.” Harry said flatly. “But close enough.”

**Harry raised his arm, and Hermione saw that his robes were torn, revealing a fine cut in the crook of his elbow.**

Lily pushed Harry’s sleeve up, finding the scar. “I don’t understand. How did that scar, when your leg didn’t?”

“You’ll find out.” Harry sighed. “There wasn’t anything on the knife, I promise.”

**“He took my protection,” Lily whispered, tears still streaming down her face.**

Lily scowled. “I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I, Lils.” James murmured.

**“I’m sorry I left so suddenly, Hermione – I couldn’t help it; something was pulling me.”**

“The wands?” David guessed, and Hermione nodded.

**Hermione nodded slightly to show she’d heard, but said nothing, as Moody continued in a hiss.**

**“And the Death Eaters? They returned?”**

**“Yeah, loads of them.” Harry shivered and Hermione rubbed his arm, but Moody didn’t seem to notice.**

**“How did he treat them? Did he forgive them?”**

Jen frowned. “What a strange question.”

“Not really.” Regulus disagreed. “Like I said, any ‘truly loyal’ Death Eaters will hate the ones who escaped Azkaban.”

“And exactly how did this one escape Azkaban?” Jen asked coldly.

“Maybe he was never suspected.” Regulus suggested. “It would seem …” he trailed off. “Unless … No … No, that can’t be possible.”

“What?” David asked.

“The Dementors can’t see.” Regulus said slowly. “Only sense. If two people walk in, and two people walk out, they wouldn’t notice anything strange, would they?”

“Well, no, but …” David trailed off as well. “You’re not thinking …?”

“I think so.” Regulus nodded. “But it seems strange.”

“Very.” David agreed.

“Are you two going to explain any time soon?” James asked.

“Carry on, Ginny.” David said in response. **  
**

**Hermione barely had time to contemplate what a strange question that was, when the remaining colour drained from Harry’s face and he fought to stand up. “There’s a Death Eater at Hogwarts! There’s a Death Eater here at the school! They put my name in the Goblet; made sure I got through to the end!”**

“Voldemort told the Death Eaters that much.” Harry whispered, his eyes tightly shut. “Didn’t say who he was though.” **  
**

**The blood in Hermione’s veins turned to ice, but Moody pushed Harry back into his seat. “I know who the Death Eater is.”**

“Well, of course you do.” Jen muttered.

**“Karkaroff?” Harry guessed wildly.**

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Hadn’t we been through that?”

Harry managed a small smile. “Wasn’t thinking straight.”

**“Where is he? Have you got him?”**

**Hermione rolled her eyes, about to remind Harry that they’d already dismissed Karkaroff as a suspect numerous times, when Moody laughed darkly, a laugh that sent shivers down Hermione’s spine.**

David sighed. “Guess he doesn’t need to act anymore.”

**“Karkaroff?” He asked, with a kind of dark amusement. “He fled tonight when he felt the Mark burn.**

“Not surprising.” Regulus frowned. “It still seems odd though, how he was acting. How did he know it would happen that night?”

**He betrayed too many faithful supporters of the Dark Lord to wish to meet them … but I doubt he’ll get far. The Dark Lord has ways of tracking his enemies.”**

Regulus shuddered. _Addie_ watched him out of the corner of her eye, still stroking Hermione’s hair. She’d have to tell him sooner or later.

**“Hermione …” James said slowly. “Something’s not right.”**

“I’d guessed that.” Hermione whispered.

**But Hermione didn’t need James to tell her that. She finally released her empathy, skilfully avoiding the pain emanating from Harry, and landed upon the anticipatory excitement that she had picked up earlier in the evening.**

Lily took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

**It was coming from Moody.**

**Hermione wanted to believe that it was adrenaline – that the paranoid ex-auror didn’t march to the beat of the same drum as everyone else – but something stopped her.**

“Good girl.” _Addie_ murmured.

**Sirius’s words floated back to her. _“Never used Unforgivables if he could help it.”_**

**And yet he’d willingly demonstrated them in front of fourth years? Admittedly, it was only on spiders, but surely the principle was the same.**

**And why was Moody calling Voldemort ‘The Dark Lord’ all of a sudden? She’d never heard anyone calling him that … except Karkaroff … and Snape …**

“Thank Merlin you pay attention.” Jen whispered. “I don’t know how much it’s going to help you though.”

**A Death Eater … and someone he thought to be an ally …**

“Harry didn’t tell me about the Pensieve.” Hermione explained, her voice quieter than she intended.

**This was not the real Mad-Eye Moody, and a glance at the Potters told her that they had realised the same thing.**

“That’s not good.” Regulus stated quietly. “He’s dropped the act. He could have sent Hermione to get Madam Pomfrey, but he hasn’t.”

“What does that mean?” Lily asked shakily.

“It means he either doesn’t care if he’s caught now the Dark Lord’s back,” Regulus answered, “or he’s not planning on either of them living long enough to expose him.”

**“Karkaroff’s gone?” Harry repeated, oblivious to the danger they were both in.**

Harry shook his head. “I should have known.”

“Stop it.” Hermione told him firmly. “Your head was hardly in the right place.”

**“Then he didn’t put my name in the Goblet?”  
“Professor Moody,” Hermione said shakily, gripping her wand under her robes.**

“Don’t attempt it.” David advised quietly. “Wait until he’s distracted.”

**“Maybe I should get Harry to the Hospital Wing.” She stood to help Harry to his feet, but Moody drew his wand and pointed it at them.**

**“Sit down, Miss Granger.”**

**Hermione sank to her knees again, her attention now focussed fully on the wand aimed in her direction.**

“Touch my girl and it will be the last thing you do.” _Addie_ hissed, her arm tightening around Hermione. She seemed to not notice the possessive, and it allowed Hermione to manage a smile, nestling further into their arms as _Sirius_ kissed her forehead, also grinning, despite the situation.

**“No, Potter,” ‘Moody’ said, one eye fixed on Hermione. “It was I who did that.”**

**“No, you didn’t.” Harry murmured. “You didn’t do that … You can’t have done …”**

Harry grimaced. “Merlin, it was so obvious.”

James squeezed his shoulder. “It’s not your fault. Anyone would be in shock after that. I’m surprised you’re forming full sentences.”

**“He’s in shock.” Lily whimpered. “Oh, Harry …”**

**“I assure you that I did.” ‘Moody’ told him. “ _Expelliarmus!_ ”**

**Hermione’s wand flew from her hand, and Harry’s did the same.**

“What about my wand?” Jen asked.

Hermione managed a smirk. “Didn’t even twitch.”

**The fake Moody caught them, never lowering his own. “He forgave them, did he? The Death Eaters who went free? Who escaped Azkaban?”**

“Of course he did.” Jen said darkly. “He’ll have to build up from scratch again – he can’t afford not to.”

**“He’s underestimating you.” Lily told her darkly. “He doesn’t think you’ll have another wand. You never underestimate your opponent, Hermione – he’s going to pay for that. Take … him … down.”  
Hermione shivered slightly. Over the last year, she had seen the Marauder, and she had seen the mother. But now she saw the powerful witch who had been such a threat to the Dark side, and she wasn’t a woman Hermione wanted to get on the wrong side of.**

_Sirius_ was nodding in agreement. “Lily was terrifying when she wanted to be.”

**“What?” Harry asked blankly.**

**“Did he forgive them?!” ‘Moody’ asked impatiently. “Did he forgive the scumbags who never even tried to find him?! Did he forgive the worthless pieces of crap that escaped Azkaban?! The faithless filth who were brave enough to run around in masks at the Quidditch World Cup, but fled like cowardly rats at the sight of the Dark Mark when I fired it into the sky?!”**

“So he was in the Top Box.” Jen concluded, frowning. “But … Unless someone was there under Polyjuice …”

“Maybe it is Malfoy.” James suggested, but his expression betrayed the fact that he didn’t believe it.

“No, Malfoy was one of the … er … ‘worthless pieces of crap’ that escaped Azkaban.” Jen said.

**“You fired …?” Harry repeated weakly. “What are you talking about?”**

**Whatever happened that night had seriously shaken, Harry – he was normally more on the ball than this.**

_Addie_ closed her eyes. “You’d been cursed, hadn’t you?”

Lily turned to Harry, her eyes frantic. “You hadn’t …?”

“Two Cruciatus curses.” Harry said dully. “Or was it three?”

“In which case it _is_ a miracle you’re managing full sentences.” David said, referring to Jen’s earlier comment.

 _Sirius_ looked worriedly at _Addie_ over the top of Hermione’s head. He knew she’d been cursed recently – but just how many times had she been tortured?

**Hermione’s mind was racing, unable to move when ‘Moody’s’ magical eye was fixed on her. _So he was at the World Cup … must’ve been in the Top Box too … but who?_**

“Good girl.” Regulus murmured, almost automatically.

**_Where’s the real Moody? And how did no one notice?_ **

“That’s what’s worrying me.” David murmured.

**“I told you, Harry.” The imposter said quietly. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s a Death Eater that walked free …”**

**Hermione shivered as an insane smile lit ‘Moody’s’ face and she shifted closer to Harry, tightening her arm around his waist.**

Hermione reached out and grasped Harry’s hand, neither of them moving away from the people holding them.

**“Tell me he hurt them, Harry.” ‘Moody’ whispered, looking quite manic. “Tell me he punished them … tortured them … told them that I alone remained faithful …”**

Hermione snorted weakly. “I wouldn’t say that.” She muttered under her breath.

**“I can’t have been you …” Harry whispered.**

**Hermione felt like screaming, warning Harry that this wasn’t Moody, but she couldn’t. She forced herself to look away from the wand pointed at her and at ‘Moody’s’ face instead.**

“Just keep your head.” James whispered.

**“Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire, under the name of a different school? I did. Who frightened off every person I thought might try to hurt you or prevent you from winning the tournament? I did."**

**The magical eye finally left Hermione and rolled to look at Harry.**

“C’mon.” Sirius murmured.

**Very carefully, she let her hand drift down to her ankle where the second wand lay tucked away, keeping her body very, very still.**

“That’s it.” Regulus said lowly. “Nice and slow – take your time.”

**“Who nudged Hagrid into showing you the dragon? I did. It wasn’t easy, Harry, guiding you through these tasks – you couldn’t do too well, or Dumbledore would get suspicious. I just needed to get you into that maze, preferably with the head start, and then I could dispatch of the other champions.”**

“Oh Merlin …” Addie whispered. “He could have killed all three of them.” **  
**

**Hermione fought the urge to shiver again. If this man was as insane as he was acting, Fleur and Viktor were lucky they were only stunned.**

“Great minds …” _Addie_ quipped weakly.

**“The second task … that was when I was most afraid we would fail. I knew you hadn't worked out the egg's clue, so I had to give you another hint …”**

**“Cedric gave me that clue.” Harry disagreed …**

“Harry, darling, please don’t antagonise the madman with the wand.” Lily said shakily.

**… and Hermione grimaced.**

**_Don’t antagonise him, Harry. Just nod and go along with it._ **

**“And who do you think tipped Diggory off?” Moody asked. “I did. Decent people are so easy to manipulate.”**

“That bastard!” _Addie_ hissed.

 _Sirius_ kissed the side of her head. “Easy, sweetheart. He paid.”

**Hermione felt a surge of anger – whether it was coming from Harry or herself, she didn’t know …**

“Probably both.” Harry remarked.

**… and gripped the wand in its holster, but she couldn’t act yet.**

“Well done.” Regulus murmured. “Keep a clear head …”

Jen shifted to hide her face in Remus’s chest, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. It was only partly out of fear for Harry and Hermione though – Regulus had shown more concern and pride for Hermione over the last few days than he had for her in the last six years.

**She was taking a huge chance anyway – the wand was currently in her off-hand, and it wasn’t technically hers, so she had no idea how it would respond.**

“Oh Merlin, I hadn’t even thought of that.” Mandy whispered.

“They’ll be fine.” Arabella whispered back. “They have to be – Harry and Hermione are right there.”

**But Cedric … Cedric _had_ been a decent person – a decent person who had been murdered in cold blood, apparently for no other reason than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.**

“He’s fine.” _Addie_ repeated.

**“You were in that lake so long, Potter, I thought you’d drowned. But the judges took your idiocy for nobility, and marked you highly for it, and I breathed again. You had an easy time of it in that maze tonight, of course. I was able to see through the hedges, to curse many of the obstacles out of your way.”**

**Despite the situation, Hermione couldn’t help feeling a small twinge of annoyance that the imposter had so little faith in Harry’s abilities.**

Harry chuckled. “Thanks, Hermione.”

Hermione shrugged. “You could have done it on your own.”

**“I stunned Fleur Delacour as she passed. I put the Imperius Curse on Krum so he would finish Diggory off and your path would be clear.”**

**So that was what had happened. In that case, either Cedric had fought off Krum, or Harry had come upon them to help.**

“Hardly the important part.” Fred said.

**_Not that it matters now._ **

**“The Dark Lord failed to kill you, Potter, and he so wanted to.” ‘Moody’ whispered. “Imagine how he will reward me when he finds that I have done it for him.”**

Lily stiffened, and the fear and worry in her eyes changed to pure anger. “He dares …”

“Mum …” Harry whispered. “Mum, I’m here.”

**“You dare …” James growled.**

**“I delivered you to him … the thing he needed above all … and then I killed him for you … I will be honoured above all other Death Eaters … his dearest, his closest … closer than a son …”**

“Closer than a son …” David repeated. “That sounds like we were right.”

“Right about what?” James asked.

David glanced at Alice, and sighed. “Barty Crouch Junior. He’s the only Death Eater we know that died in Azkaban and his parents were allowed a deathbed visit.”

“Sirius said his mother died just afterwards – the Dementors would have sensed a healthy person and a sick person entering, and a healthy and a sick person leaving, but couldn’t distinguish.” Regulus concluded. “Plus that explains why Hermione saw his name on the Map – it wasn’t Senior under the Imperius, it was Junior.”

“He can’t be.” Neville whispered, looking to Hermione for reassurance.

She looked back sadly – and a little guiltily – and mouthed the words “I’m sorry”.

**Hermione’s hand tightened around her wand, but with ‘Moody’s’ still aimed in her direction, she would be dead before she raised it high enough to utter a curse.**

Addie gritted her teeth, her gaze wandering to the girl in her future self’s arms.

“They’re both fine.” Sirius whispered in her ear.

**“The Dark Lord and I have much in common.” The imposter told them. “Both of us, for instance, had very disappointing fathers … both suffered the indignity of being named after those fathers …”**

“Yep, that’s Junior.” Sirius confirmed with a sigh. “How does that happen?”

**Hermione’s eyes widened. _Crouch! That’s who this is – it’s Barty Crouch Jr! He must have somehow escaped Azkaban without anyone realising …_**

“Your mind never ceases to amaze me.” Fred stated.

Hermione turned a little red. “Thank you.”

**_But how …?_ **

**“And both of us had the pleasure – the very real pleasure – of killing our fathers to ensure the continued rise of the Dark Order!”**

David closed his eyes. “Barty’s dead.”

Regulus sighed. “I guess we should have seen that coming. He had the Map – he’d have known Crouch Senior was there before Harry did.”

“It was probably him that stunned Krum.” Jen added. “And then killed Crouch and hid his body somewhere.”

**“You’re mad.” Harry whispered. “You’re mad!”**

**“Harry …” Hermione whimpered, unable to stop herself. “Don’t …”**

**“Mad, am I?” ‘Moody’ asked with a cackle. “We’ll see who’s mad, Potter! The Dark Lord is back! He is back, Potter, you did not conquer him – and now I conquer you!”**

Lily screamed, and James and Harry hugged her tightly.

“He’s here, Lils.” James whispered in her ear. “He’s safe.”

**His wand swung around to aim at Harry’s chest, causing Lily to scream, darting forward to shield her son from a curse she couldn’t possible hope to block.**

Lily let out a choked sob into Harry’s hair.

**Hermione saw her chance and took it. Drawing the second wand, she swung it upwards. “ _STUPEFY!_ ”**

**It may not have been her wand and it hardly responded to her the way hers did, but it did the job; a beam of red light left the tip of the wand and struck ‘Moody’ directly in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground.**

A cheer went up, and _Sirius_ hugged Hermione tightly. “That’s my girl!”

“Thank heaven you had that second wand.” Lily breathed.

**At that moment, the door to the office burst open …**

“Talk about closing the barn door after the horse has bolted.” Lily muttered.

**… revealing Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape, looking furious, which soon changed to confusion.**

Hermione laughed weakly. “It was strange to see them looking so bewildered.”

**Hermione took the opportunity to shove her second wand away and grab her own and Harry’s, which had rolled towards them.**

“Good.” Regulus murmured. “You don’t want to give away that little secret unless you have to.”

**Professor McGonagall rushed over to them. “Miss Granger, Mr Potter, are you alright?”**

**“We’re fine, Professor.” Hermione assured her, though couldn’t stop her voice from shaking.**

**“Come along, Mr Potter.” McGonagall whispered, resting a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Come along … Hospital Wing.”**

**“No.” Dumbledore disagreed.**

“Excuse me?” Lily asked icily. “My son needs to see a Healer! Did anyone do anything about your leg?”

“Not yet.” Harry answered. “But Dumbledore was right on this one, Mum. I needed to know what had happened.”

**“He will stay, Minerva, because he needs to understand. Harry needs to know who put him through his ordeal tonight and why. Recovery can only come with acceptance and acceptance can only come with understanding.”**

Jen sighed. “I hate to say it, but the man has a point. Although he should have taken Harry to the hospital wing and shown him a memory, or something. Called Madam Pomfrey up at the very least.”

**“Moody?” Harry murmured in shock. “How can it have been Moody?”**

**“Harry, that’s not Moody.” Hermione told him gently, slipping his wand back into his hand. “Is it, Headmaster?”**

**“It is not.” Dumbledore confirmed, with a hint of a twinkle in his eyes.**

“But Dumbledore should have realised that.” David frowned. “He and Alastor have been friends for _years_.”

**“When did you realise, Miss Granger?”**

**“Just now.” Hermione whispered. “When he was referring to You-Know …” She stopped, catching Harry’s eye.**

**If they were all afraid of a _name_ , how could they possibly hope to beat _him?_**

“That explains why you started using it.” Fred remarked.

**“V-V-Voldemort.” She said, stuttering over it slightly.**

_Sirius_ smiled.

**Harry gave her the first real smile (albeit a small one) she’d seen all evening, and pulled her closer so she was under his arm rather than the other way round.**

“Good boy.” Lily whispered.

**“He was calling Voldemort ‘the Dark Lord’.” Hermione finished, resting her head on Harry’s shoulder. “I’ve only ever heard Death Eaters … well, people I would assume were Death Eaters calling him that. Plus, he demonstrated the Unforgivables and Snuffles said that he never used them if he could help it.” She could see McGonagall and Snape exchanging a confused glance, but didn’t elaborate. “If you don’t mind me asking, sir, when did you realise?”**

**“The real Alastor Moody would never have removed Harry from my sight after what happened tonight. The moment I saw you both gone, I knew.”**

David frowned. “But Dumbledore wasn’t anywhere near Harry when they left.”

“You don’t think Dumbledore knew already, but wasn’t saying anything?” Jen asked.

David grimaced. “I wouldn’t like to say.” **  
**

**It was a strange answer, Hermione thought. After all, Dumbledore hadn’t told them not to move – Mandy and Arabella had. And they’d hardly conferred with Dumbledore first; they hadn’t had time.**

**Still, Hermione accepted it, hanging her head. “I should have made Harry stay there.”**

“It was not your fault.” _Addie_ said firmly.

**“Miss Granger, you had no reason to distrust him.” Dumbledore said kindly. “Now …” he bent down and retrieved a set of keys and a hip flask from ‘Moody’s’ limp form.**

“The hip flask.” David sighed, shaking his head. “He’s well-known for it, and it would be so easy to substitute it for Polyjuice.”

**“Severus, please go down to the kitchens and bring up the house-elf called Winky …**

“That’s not fair!” Addie protested. “That poor elf shouldn’t have to listen to this!”

“He probably wants confirmation that he’s telling the truth and not just deluded.” Sirius said, frowning. “But you’re right – it’s not fair.”

**… then fetch me the strongest Truth Potion you have. Minerva, kindly go down to the pumpkin patch at Hagrid’s hut. Take the dog waiting there up to my office and tell him I will be with him shortly. Fetch Amanda and Arabella from the Hospital Wing, do the same thing, then come back here.”**

“So after listening to Crouch, Harry’s going to Dumbledore’s office, rather than the hospital wing.” Lily threw her arms into the air in exasperation. “Is no one going to realise that my son is injured?!”

**If either teacher was confused, they didn’t show it; simply swept from the room without a word.**

**Hermione watched, strangely detached, as Dumbledore opened Moody’s trunk, compartment by compartment. Usually, she would have been bursting with questions about the article – she’d never seen a multi-dimensional trunk before – but she couldn’t find her voice. However, when Dumbledore opened the seventh and last compartment, she and Harry couldn’t hold back a horrified gasp.**

“Oh Merlin, what now?!” Mandy groaned.

**They were looking into what looked like a dungeon and, lying about ten feet below, chunks missing from his grizzly hair, thin and starved, was the real Alastor Moody.**

David swore. “Was he alright?”

“He’s fine now.” Hermione assured him. “More paranoid than ever, but he’s fine.”

**Dumbledore climbed into the trunk and checked him over. “Stunned … controlled by Imperius … very weak … Of course they would have needed to keep him alive.**

“Why?” Neville asked shakily. “Wouldn’t it have been easier for them to kill him? I’m glad they didn’t,” he said hurriedly, “but …”

“Polyjuice Potion relies on living components.” Mandy explained kindly. “You can’t Polyjuice into a dead man.”

**Hermione, throw down the impostor’s cloak; he’s freezing.”**

“I don’t think I want Hermione going anywhere near him.” _Sirius_ growled under his breath.

“Relax, Padfoot.” Hermione said gently. “I’m fine.”

**Rather reluctantly, Hermione left Harry’s embrace and retrieved the cloak, tossing it down to her headmaster. “Will he be alright?”**

**“Madam Pomfrey will need to take a look at him, but he’s in no immediate danger.” Dumbledore tucked the cloak around Moody and clambered out of the trunk again. He picked the flask up again and took the lid off, sniffing it carefully. “Polyjuice Potion. You see the simplicity of it and the brilliance. Moody never does drink from anything other than his hip flask; he’s famous for it.**

David was nodding along.

**The impostor needed to keep the real Moody close, of course. He needed hair for the Potion, you see the gaps?” He glanced down into the trunk again. “But I think that, in all the excitement tonight, our impostor may not have taken his potion as frequently as he should have done. On the hour, every hour. We shall see.” He conjured two chairs and motioned for Hermione to take a seat next to Harry.**

“Weren’t you on a chair?” Jen asked.

Hermione shook her head. “I hadn’t bothered; I’d been kneeling beside Harry.”

**Hermione did so, glancing at her best friend, who was white and shaking, staring at the body on the floor. She rested her head on his shoulder again, and was relieved when he wrapped an arm around her, both accepting the comfort she offered, and doling out his own.**

**“I’m so sorry, Harry.” She whispered. “I should have listened to Mandy and Arabella and kept us there.”**

Harry squeezed Hermione’s hand, but didn’t say anything.

**“Hermione, stop it.” Lily soothed. “Moody was a well-respected auror; not even we realised something was wrong until just now. Not even Dumbledore realised and he’s a bloody Legilimens.**

Jen scowled. She had a horrible feeling that she was right.

**Stop blaming yourself.”**

**Hermione flicked her little finger. _Thank you._ She wasn’t sure what it was – maybe it was the shock, maybe it was that ever-present memory of that Halloween night – but she did not want to tell Dumbledore about her abilities just yet.**

“Good.” _Addie_ said firmly. “There’s nothing Dumbledore can do to find us, and I don’t want him to start manipulating you as well.”

“Just let him try.” _Sirius_ muttered, tightening his own hold on Hermione. “Harry’s bad enough …”

Harry looked over at them amusedly. “You do know you’re _both_ acting like overprotective parents, don’t you?”

They glanced at each other, and smiled, but said nothing.

**For a few minutes, they all stared at the fake Moody. Suddenly, his appearance started changing; the scars were disappearing, the fake eye had popped out, the nose became whole again. And lying before them was a man with sandy-blond hair, who resembled …**

**Hermione heard Harry gasp, but she merely shook her head sadly. She was right – somehow Crouch Jr had escaped Azkaban without anyone – even the other inmates – noticing.**

Alice closed her eyes, hugging Neville close.

**Snape reappeared in the doorway with Winky at his heels and McGonagall just behind him. “Crouch!” He exclaimed. “Barty Crouch!”**

**“Good heavens!” McGonagall said faintly.**

“Unusual sight.” Fred said, trying to lighten the mood. “McGonagall shocked.”

**Winky peered around Snape’s robes and shrieked. “Master Barty, Master Barty; what is you doing here?!” She flung herself forwards onto him. “You is killed him! You is killed Master’s son!”**

Lily tutted. “Poor thing.”

**“He is only stunned, Winky.” Dumbledore assured the elf. “Step aside please. Severus, the potion?”**

**Snape pulled a clear vial out of his pocket.**

“Veritaserum.” Mandy concluded.

**_Veritaserum,_ ** **Hermione’s mind said absently, _the truth potion. Can only be fought by very powerful witches and wizards or, failing that, Dark Magic._**

“Really?” Harry asked, grinning.

Hermione blushed slightly. “Shut up.”

“And that’s not entirely true.” _Addie_ said. “A natural Occlumens can throw it off, even without a lot of power.”

“But naturals wouldn’t often be under it though, would they?” Lily asked. “Given they’re supposed to be pure-minded and everything.”

**She sighed inwardly. Curse her brains – even in a situation like this, they were still running at full-speed.**

**Between Snape and Dumbledore, they managed to get Crouch Jr. into a sitting position and forced a few drops of Veritaserum into his mouth.**

**Snape and Dumbledore stood back and the latter pointed his wand at Crouch Jr.’s chest. “ _Enervate_.”**

Ginny looked up. “That’s the end of the chapter.”


	28. Chapter Twenty Six - A Confession

Fred sighed heavily, and motioned for her to pass the book to him. “I’ll read the next one.”

**Chapter Twenty Six**

**A Confession**

“No prizes for guessing what this one’s about.” Sirius remarked.

“Sirius …” Addie sighed.

“What?” Sirius asked. “You could cut the tension in here with a knife.”

**The man’s eyes blinked open, staring blankly across the room.**

“Good.” David said. “That means it’s working.”

**“Can you hear me?” Dumbledore asked quietly.  
“Yes.”**

**“I would like you to tell us how you came to be here.**

“Shouldn’t he ask a control question, Dad?” James asked.

David grimaced. “If he was in a courtroom, yes, but since the potion was administered while Crouch was unconscious, it would be near impossible for him to throw it off, even with Dark Magic.”

**How did you escape Azkaban?”**

**Crouch Jr. took a deep breath and began to speak in a flat, emotionless voice. “My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She convinced my father to rescue me as a last favour to her. He loved her as he had never loved me. He agreed. They came to visit me.”**

Lily sighed. “I know it was wrong, but … I’m finding it difficult to condemn his mother.”

“So am I.” Alice whispered, stroking Neville’s hair.

“But, Mum, what he did …” Neville protested.

“Oh, I’m not saying he didn’t deserve Azkaban.” Alice assured him. “He did. He does. But that doesn’t mean I can’t understand that a mother would never want her child in that hell no matter what they’d done.”

“Ours would.” Sirius muttered.

Addie rolled her eyes. “We’re not talking about demons, Sirius; we’re talking about mothers.”

Sirius couldn’t help laughing, and she squeezed his hand with a small smile of her own.

**_“… Crouch and his wife were allowed a death-bed visit …”_ **

**“They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my mother’s hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my hairs. We took on each other’s appearances.”**

**Winky was trembling. “Say no more, Master Barty, you is getting your father into trouble!”**

**But, under the influence, Crouch Jr. was forced to continue. “The Dementors are blind. They sensed one healthy, one dying person entering Azkaban. They sensed one healthy, one dying person leaving it. My father smuggled me out, disguised as my mother, in case any of the prisoners were watching through their doors.”**

“Which I was.” _Sirius_ put in.

David shook his head. “There should be better screening around Azkaban – we have far too much faith in Dementors.”

**_“… he had to practically carry her out …”_ **

**“My mother died a short while afterward in Azkaban.**

David shook his head. “That poor woman. As you said, Sirius, I hope she thought him innocent. Because to die in that hell for someone who had done something like that …”

**She was careful to drink Polyjuice to the end.**

“Where did she hide the bottle, I wonder?” Sirius murmured.

**She was buried under my name, bearing my appearance.**

Mandy frowned. “But Polyjuice wears off if the person using it dies, doesn’t it?”

“The Dementors buried the body.” _Sirius_ explained. “No humans ever went near him – her – and they were too far away from the windows for me to see any different.”

**Everyone believed her to be me.”**

**_“… he died about a year after they brought him in …”_ **

**“And what did your father do with you, when he got you home?” Dumbledore asked.**

**“Staged my mother’s death. A quiet, private funeral. The grave is empty.**

David shook his head.

**The house-elf nursed me back to health. Then I had to be concealed. I had to be controlled. My father used a number of spells to control me.**

Jen scowled. “And he hated me?”

“He was a hypocrite.” _Sirius_ said.

“He’s not the only one.” Remus frowned. “Didn’t Junior spend most of the trial in the Pensieve protesting his innocence?”

“And then turned round and condemned those who did the same.” Arabella said. “You’re right.”

**When I had recovered my strength, I thought only of finding my master … of returning to his service.”**

“Someone didn’t learn his lesson.” Lily muttered.

**“How did your father control you?” Dumbledore asked, but Hermione thought she knew.**

**“The Imperius Curse.” Crouch Jr. answered.**

“This just keeps getting worse.” David said.

**“I was under my father’s control. I was forced to wear an Invisibility Cloak day and night.**

“And that’s why …” Regulus whispered.

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Feel like elaborating?”

“Back at the World Cup, after Winky was Stunned, Crouch looked shaken and went to look in the bushes, even though Diggory said there was no one there.” Regulus reminded him. “It was because he knew his son was under the Cloak.”

**I was always with the house-elf. She was my keeper and care-taker. She pitied me. She persuaded my father to give me occasional treats. Rewards for my good behaviour.”**

“How is it good behaviour if it’s forced?!” James demanded.

**“Master Barty!” Winky sobbed. “Master Barty, you isn’t ought to tell them … we is getting into trouble!”**

**“Did anyone discover that you were still alive? Did anyone know except your father and house-elf?”**

_Addie_ gasped. “Bertha!”

Harry nodded grimly. “Exactly.”

**Hermione lifted her head and met Harry’s gaze. She knew they were thinking the same thing.**

**“Yes. A witch in my father’s office. Bertha Jorkins.”**

**Hermione’s head dropped back onto Harry’s shoulder again with a quiet moan.**

“That was when I knew she was dead.” Hermione said softly.

**“She came to the house with papers for my father’s signature. He was not at home. Winky showed her inside …**

“Why not tell her to come back later?” Lily asked.

“House-elves hate to disappoint.” James answered.

**… and returned to the kitchen, to me. But Bertha Jorkins heard Winky talking to me. She came to investigate. She heard enough to guess who was hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. My father arrived home. She confronted him.”**

_Addie_ groaned. “She never did know when to keep her mouth shut.”

**_“Very nosy, but no brains, none at all.”_ **

**If Bertha had just acted as though nothing was wrong and alerted someone at the Ministry, the entire mess could have been avoided.**

**“He put a very powerful Memory Charm on her to make her forget what she’d found out. Too powerful. He said it damaged her memory permanently.”**

David was looking more and more disgusted with his superior.

**What had Percy said during the summer? _“Mr. Crouch has been taking a personal interest – she worked in our department at one time, you know, and I think Mr. Crouch was quite fond of her.”_ Had Crouch Sr. actually been feeling guilty, knowing that, if she was lost, it would be partially his fault?**

“Probably.” Addie muttered.

**“Why is she coming to nose into my master’s private business?” Winky asked, still crying. “Why isn’t she leaving us alone?”  
“Tell me about the Quidditch World Cup.” Dumbledore suggested, with a calmness Hermione knew he wasn’t feeling.**

“What was he feeling?” Arabella asked curiously.

“Disgust mainly.” Hermione answered. “I wasn’t really paying attention.”

**“Winky talked my father into it.**

“Wow.” Regulus commented. “She must have really cared about him to argue with her Master about it.”

**She spent months persuading him. I had not left the house in years. I had loved Quidditch. Let him go, she said. He will be in his Invisibility Cloak. He can watch. Let him smell the fresh air for once. She said my mother would have wanted it. She told my father that my mother had died to give me my freedom. She had not saved me for a life of imprisonment.**

“That is true.” Lily said slowly. “But still a bad idea.”

**He agreed in the end. It was carefully planned. My father led me and Winky up to the Top Box early in the day. Winky was to say that she was saving a seat for my father. I was to sit there, invisible. When everyone left the Top Box, we would emerge. Winky would appear to be alone. Nobody would ever know. But Winky didn’t know I was growing stronger. I was starting to fight my father’s Imperius Curse.**

“That does happen when you’re under the curse for a long time.” David said.

**There were times when I almost felt like myself again. There were brief periods when I seemed outside his control. It happened there, in the Top Box.**

“Of all the times to wake up.” Regulus muttered.

**It was like waking from a deep sleep. I found myself out in public, in the middle of the match, and I saw, in front of me, a wand sticking out of a boy’s pocket.”**

**_“You think whoever conjured the Dark Mark stole my wand in the Top Box?”_ **

**“I had not been allowed a wand since before Azkaban.**

“Wow, I wonder why.” Addie said flatly.

**I stole it. Winky didn’t know. Winky is frightened of heights. She had her face hidden.”**

**“Master Barty, you bad boy.” Winky whispered through her fingers.**

**“You took the wand.” Dumbledore repeated. “And what did you do with it?”**

“Does he really need to ask that?” Lily asked. “I mean, we know that Harry’s wand was used to cast the Dark Mark.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean that Junior cast it though.” James said. “He _did_ , but he could have dropped the wand and someone else picked it up. Unlikely, but any defence lawyer would try it.”

**“We went back to the tent. Then we heard them. We heard the Death Eaters. The ones who had never been to Azkaban. The ones who had never suffered for my master. They had turned their backs on him. They were not enslaved, as I was. They were free to seek him, but they did not. They were merely making sport of Muggles.”**

**In an odd way, though Hermione had no sympathy for Voldemort or his supporters, she could see where he was coming from.**

Hermione looked a little embarrassed as everyone turned to her incredulously, but Fred cleared his throat, and kept reading.

**If Harry was missing, presumed dead, and Ron was free to look for him and she was not, she would have been pretty annoyed to see him gallivanting about and not even trying.**

“Alright, I see your point.” Lily conceded. “Hardly …”

Fred held up a hand to stop her, and kept reading, continuing the thought for her.

**_Of course Harry isn’t the same thing to me as Voldemort is to Crouch Jr., but that isn’t the point._ **

**“The sounds of their voices awoke me. My mind was clearer than it had been in years. I was angry. I had the wand. I wanted to attack them for their disloyalty to my master. My father had left the tent; he had gone to free the Muggles. Winky was afraid to see me so angry. She used her own brand of magic to bind me to her.**

“That’s what was stopping her.” Mandy murmured.

**She pulled me from the tent, pulled me into the forest, away from the Death Eaters. I tried to hold her back.”  
 _So that’s why Winy was running oddly._**

**“I wanted to return to the campsite. I wanted to show those Death Eaters what loyalty to the Dark Lord meant and to punish them for their lack of it.**

“The dark side of Hufflepuff.” Jen said softly.

**I used the stolen wand to cast the Dark Mark into the sky.”**

**Hermione could feel Harry shaking; obviously, he had taken the use of his wand to cast the mark of the man who supposedly murdered his parents as a personal insult.**

“Can you blame me?” Harry asked darkly.

“No.” Hermione answered immediately. “No, I can’t.”

**“Ministry wizards arrived. They shot stunning spells everywhere. One of the spells came through the trees where Winky and I stood. The bond connecting us was broken. We were both stunned. When Winky was discovered, my father knew I must be nearby.”**

Now it was Regulus’s turn to nod, as he was proved right.

**_Which is why he was so shocked …_ **

**“He searched the bushes where she had been found and felt me laying there. He waited until the other Ministry members had left the forest. He put me back under the Imperius Curse and took me home. He dismissed Winky. She had failed him. She had let me acquire a wand. She had almost let me escape.”**

“It was not her fault!” Lily protested.

**Winky let out a wail.**

**“Now it was just Father and I … alone in the house.”**

**Hermione noticed how he referred to Crouch Sr. as father. Harry always referred to his parents as Mum and Dad. Draco, too, referred to his as Mother and Father.**

“Only around the other Slytherins.” Draco corrected. “That’s what I’m supposed to call them. I’ve only ever called my mother ‘Mum’ when we’re in private.”

**Hermione herself had always referred to and thought of her parents as Mum and Father – yet she had called Sirius Daddy when she was a child. She wondered what Crouch Jr. called his mother; clearly, she loved him more than Crouch Sr. did, so would she have been Mum?**

“Probably.” Sirius confirmed. “But you do have some strange thoughts sometimes.”

Addie snorted. “Hark who’s talking.”

**She pulled herself out of her thoughts to listen to the rest of the story, sensing understandable waves of disgust and horror radiating from Snape and McGonagall.**

**“And then … and then …” An insane grin spread across Crouch Jr.’s face. “My master came for me.**

“That’s hardly something to grin about.” Arabella muttered.

**He arrived at our house late one night in the arms of his servant, Wormtail.**

James pulled a face. “In the arms of?”

“He was the size of a baby.” Harry told him flatly. “A very ugly baby.”

**My master had found out I was still alive. He had captured Bertha Jorkins in Albania.**

Fred’s voice faltered, but he kept reading, not giving them a chance to interrupt.

**He had tortured her. She told him a great deal. She told him about the Triwizard Tournament. She told him the old auror, Moody, was going to teach at Hogwarts. He tortured her until he broke the Memory Charm my father had placed on her. She told him I had escaped from Azkaban. She told him my father had imprisoned me to prevent me from seeking my master. And so my master knew I was still his most faithful servant – perhaps the most faithful of all.**

“I’ve got an idea.” Sirius said. “Why don’t we put all Voldemort’s ‘most faithful’ Death Eaters in a room and get them to fight to prove who the ‘most faithful’ is, and not let them out until there’s only one left. Because one would be a lot easier to deal with.”

David smiled slightly. “I’ll pass that plan along, Sirius, but I don’t think the Ministry will agree to it.”

“Well, they should.” Sirius said.

**My master conceived a plan, based on the information Bertha had given him. He needed me. He arrived at our house near midnight. My father answered the door.”**

**Hermione felt a shudder pass through Harry into her.**

**“It was very quick. My father was placed under the Imperius Curse by my master. Now my father was the one imprisoned, controlled.**

“There’s a cruel irony right there.” James remarked, frowning.

“I’m surprised Voldemort still had the power to keep Crouch under the Imperius for so long.” David frowned. “Didn’t he tell Wormtail in the dream that he’d lose whatever strength he had in a matter of days if he left?”

“He did.” Regulus confirmed. “Maybe Junior was mistaken and Wormtail …”

“No.” _Sirius_ disagreed. “I highly doubt Wormtail had the power to do that, even if Crouch was caught off guard.”

“You did say he was more powerful than we gave him credit for.” _Addie_ reminded him.

 _Sirius_ grimaced. “Yeah, but was he more powerful than Crouch? Unlikely.”

“But possible.” Mandy said softly.

 _Sirius_ sighed. “Yes, possible. But not probable.”

 _Addie_ leaned up to whisper in his ear. “Do you believe that, or just want to?”

 _Sirius_ grimaced, but didn’t say anything.

**My master forced him to go about his business as usual, to act as though nothing was wrong. And I was released. I awoke. I was myself again, alive, as I hadn’t been in years.”**

**“What did Lord Voldemort ask you to do?”**

**“He asked me whether I was ready to risk everything for him. I was ready. It was my dream, my greatest ambition, to serve him, to prove myself to him. He told me he needed to place a faithful servant at Hogwarts. A servant who would guide Harry Potter through the Triwizard Tournament without appearing to do so. A servant who would watch over Harry Potter. Ensure he reached the Triwizard Cup. Turn the cup into a portkey, which would take the first person to touch it to my master.**

“It scares me how thorough they were.” David stated honestly.

“If it makes you feel better,” Regulus drawled, “most Death Eaters aren’t nearly this intelligent.”

“You’d know.” Jen muttered under her breath.

Remus heard her and squeezed her hand, hiding a grimace. Sirius may have patched things up with Regulus, but Jen was nowhere near close to forgiving him, and it was only a matter of time before things came to a head.

**But first …”**

**“You needed Alastor Moody.” Dumbledore finished, fury emanating from him.**

“It was quite scary.” Hermione murmured.

**“Wormtail and I did it. We had already had the Polyjuice Potion.**

_Addie_ raised an eyebrow. “Where did they get the ingredients from, I wonder. Not exactly things you have hanging around your store cupboard.”

“Made Crouch go to the Apothecary, I suppose.” Lily answered.

Mandy frowned. “But some of those ingredients are restricted in Great Britain. And the rest of Ireland, for that matter. You have to be a registered Potions Master to get them, and I don’t think Crouch is.”

**We journeyed to his house. Moody put up a struggle. There was a commotion. We managed to subdue him just in time.**

_Addie_ tapped _Sirius_ ’s arm, gaining his attention. “I missed three years.” She whispered. “How likely is it that Peter, and someone who’d been under the Imperius for that amount of time, were able to overpower Alastor Moody?”

“Everyone’s bound to get lucky sometimes.” _Sirius_ responded, just as quietly.

 _Addie_ gave him a look that clearly said that she didn’t buy it. “Peter’s a terrible dueller. And would Voldemort really stake his return on ‘getting lucky’.”

 _Sirius_ sighed. “Alright, I give up. What are you getting at?”

“I don’t know.” _Addie_ admitted, frowning. “But something’s not right.”

**Forced him into a compartment of his own magical trunk. Took some of his hair and added it to the potion. I drank it; I became Moody’s double. I took his leg and his eye. I was ready to face Arthur Weasley, who had arrived to sort out the Muggles who heard a disturbance. I made the dustbins move around. I told Arthur Weasley I had heard intruders in my yard, who had set off the dustbins.**

“And, of course, that was far too plausible.” David sighed.

**Then I packed Moody’s clothes and his Dark Detectors, put them in the trunk with Moody, and set off for Hogwarts. I kept him alive, under the Imperius Curse. I wanted to be able to question him. To find out about his past, his habits, so that I could fool even Dumbledore.**

“That still surprises me.” Jen frowned.

**I also needed his hair to make the Polyjuice Potion. The other ingredients were easy. I stole Boomslang skin from the dungeons. When the Potions master found me in his office, I said I was under orders to search it.”**

“And, again, it was all too plausible.” David said sadly.

**“And what became of Wormtail after you attacked Moody?”**

**“Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father’s house, and to keep watch over my father.”**

“But they were in the Riddle house in Harry’s dream.” Arabella frowned.

“They must have left Crouch’s house after he escaped, in case the authorities came.” Regulus said.

**“But your father escaped.”  
“Yes. After a while, he began to fight the Imperius Curse, just as I had done. There were periods when he knew what was happening. My master decided it was no longer safe for my father to leave the house. He forced him to send letters to the Ministry instead. He made him write and say he was ill. But Wormtail neglected his duty. He was not watchful enough. My father escaped. My master guessed that he was heading for Hogwarts. My father was going to tell Dumbledore everything, to confess. He was going to admit that he smuggled me from Azkaban. My master sent me word of my father’s escape. He told me to stop him at all costs. So I waited and watched. I used the map I had taken from Harry Potter.”**

James made a strange noise that sounded like a pained squawk.

Lily patted his hand. “We know, hun.” **  
**

**Harry let out a little groan and Hermione had to agree. The Marauders Map; aid Death Eaters? It was blasphemy.**

“You can say that again.” Harry muttered.

“It was blasphemy.” Fred complied, getting a few chuckles.

**“The map that had almost ruined everything.”**

**_Of course! Barty Crouch Jr. Harry saw Barty Crouch, but assumed …_ ** **Hermione sighed. _Dammit. So did I._**

“It’s not your fault.” _Addie_ told her firmly. “There was no way for you to know. You didn’t know about Junior, and then you thought he was dead.”

**“Map?” Dumbledore asked. “What map is this?”**

**“Potter’s map of Hogwarts.**

“And now the teachers know about it.” James sighed.

“I don’t think that’s what they’re focussing on.” Lily said, rolling her eyes.

**Potter saw me on it. Potter saw me stealing more ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion from Snape’s office one night.”**

“So that’s why he was there.” David muttered to himself.

**Hermione glanced around desperately and saw the Map lying on the desk next to Harry. She moved her hand from Harry’s shoulder under the pretext of stretching and managed to grab it. Somehow she managed to fold it with one hand and slip it into her sleeve. If any of the teachers noticed, they made no acknowledgement.**

“Which means Snape _definitely_ didn’t see it.” Harry concluded. “Hell, I didn’t see it.”

 _Sirius_ smirked. “That’s my girl.”

**“He thought I was my father. We share the same first name. I took the map from Potter that night. I told him my father hated dark wizards. Potter believed my father was after Snape.”**

**_Damn Slytherins,_ ** **Hermione’s Gryffindor side grumbled. _Answering questions without answering questions._**

“I’m partially insulted.” Regulus said lightly.

“Don’t deny it.” Narcissa told him. “We all do that. It’s in our blood.”

“Ah, that’s where you get it.” Remus whispered, just loud enough for Jen to hear him.

**“For a week, I waited for my father to arrive at Hogwarts. At last, one evening, the map showed my father entering the grounds.**

“Oh Merlin …” Lily whispered, tugging Harry closer and burying her face into James’s neck.

**I pulled on my Invisibility Cloak and went down to meet him. He was walking around the edge of the forest. Then Potter came, and Krum. I waited. I could not hurt Potter; my master needed him. Potter ran to get Dumbledore. I stunned Krum. I killed my father.”**

Everyone already knew that had happened, but to hear it so bluntly caused a ripple of shock to travel through the room.

**Hermione couldn’t help the gasp she gave. A hand squeezed her shoulder and she knew her head of house knew how much this was affecting her. He could easily have killed Viktor too.**

“Lucky kid.” David muttered. “Junior must have had target fixation.”

“Or sense.” Regulus retorted. “A half-crazed man disappearing – bit of trouble. Foreign celebrity disappearing – international incident and a lot more focus than he could afford.”

“What’s target fixation?” Lily asked James quietly.

“It’s a military phrase.” He explained. “It’s when you’re so focussed on your target that you fly straight into it.”

**“Nooo!” Winky wailed. “Master Barty, what is you saying?!”**

“Poor Winky.” Addie whispered. **  
**

**“You killed your father.” Dumbledore repeated softly. “What did you do with the body?”**

“I don’t want to know.” Mandy said fervently, closing her eyes as though hoping it would block out Fred’s words.

**“Carried it into the forest. Covered it with the Invisibility Cloak. I had the map with me. I watched Potter run into the castle. He met Snape. Dumbledore joined them. I watched Potter bringing Dumbledore out of the castle. I walked back out of the forest, doubled around behind them, went to meet them. I told Dumbledore Snape told me where to come. Dumbledore told me to go and look for my father. I went back to my father’s body. Watched the map. When everyone was gone, I transfigured my father’s body. He became a bone … I buried it, while wearing the Invisibility Cloak, in the freshly dug earth around Hagrid’s cabin.”**

Several cries of disgust cut across Fred’s voice.

“Well,” Ginny said with false brightness, “at least Hagrid had finished with the nifflers.”

Hermione shivered at the thought of a student accidentally digging it up, and distracted herself by focussing on Ginny. The girl was very pale, and Hermione felt guilty for not paying closer attention; Ginny, after all, was still only thirteen, and would be for another eleven days.

She wasn’t the only person to notice either; Fred shifted as though he was about to get up, but Draco beat him to it, putting an arm around the girl’s shoulders.

Hermione relaxed back into _Sirius_ and _Addie_ ’s arms, sending a warning look at Fred, who bit back his protest and kept reading.

**“And tonight …” Dumbledore prompted, over Winky’s quiet sobs.**

**“I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup to the centre of the maze before dinner. Turned it into a portkey. My master’s plan worked. He is returned to power and I will be honoured by him beyond the dreams of wizards.”**

“The hell you will.” James muttered.

**The insane smile returned and his head dropped onto his chest.**

Fred sighed. “That’s the end of the chapter.”

Hermione looked up at the ceiling. “Can we have some more of those anti-nausea potions please? I know I could have used one at the time.”

“You’re looking a bit pale now, sweetheart.” _Addie_ said in concern, pressing a hand against the girl’s forehead.

“I’m alright.” Hermione said, smiling weakly.

 _Addie_ didn’t look convinced, but Summoned the book from Fred’s hands. “I’ll read the next chapter, if you don’t mind.”


	29. Chapter Twenty Seven - Resurrection

“Might be best if you do.” Hermione agreed, taking one of the potions that had appeared on the table.

 _Addie_ waited until everyone was ready, before finding the next chapter.

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

**Resurrection**

Lily sighed. “We’re going to hear about it, aren’t we?”

“Sorry, Mum.” Harry whispered.

**Crouch Junior’s confession took a full fifteen minutes, and things seemed to fall into place in Hermione’s head, much as they had in the Shrieking Shack the year before.**

**This time, however, it was just a little bit too late.**

“It wasn’t your fault.” _Sirius_ said quietly.

**_If only … Hindsight’s 20-20, I suppose …_ **

“That’s always the way.” Lily said.

“Hindsight’s what?” James asked, bewildered.

Lily smiled slightly. “20-20 is how they measure perfect vision.”

**For a few minutes, the office was silent, everyone staring at the now unconscious Barty Crouch Jr, still wearing a maniacal grin.**

Hermione shuddered slightly.

**Hermione felt physically ill, her stomach churning at the thought of everything this man had done. Any shred of childhood innocence that she had somehow retained was now well and truly gone.**

_Sirius_ wrapped an arm around her again, kissing her head.

**She swallowed hard, determined not to start crying, and felt Harry’s arm tighten around her shoulder.**

**Looking disgusted, Dumbledore conjured thick, heavy cords that bound the fugitive tightly. “Minerva, can I ask you to stand guard while I take Harry upstairs?”**

“Upstairs?” Jen repeated. “Surely he should be going downstairs – to the Hospital Wing.”

“Not yet.” Harry said.

 _Sirius_ sighed. “She’s right. I should have put my foot down and made you go to the infirmary.”

“Why didn’t you?” Narcissa asked.

“Shock.” _Sirius_ admitted. “We were all in shock, and Dumbledore didn’t really give us time to think.”

**“Of course.” McGonagall looked sickened, but she moved away from the two Gryffindors and drew her wand, aiming it at Crouch with a perfectly steady hand.**

David nodded approvingly.

**“Hermione?”  
Hermione started at the use of her first name and looked up into the Headmaster’s face.**

**“Do you need the Hospital Wing?”**

“Wait, so he’s asking Hermione, but not Harry?” James asked, frowning.

Harry sighed. “Sometimes, I wonder if Dumbledore sees me as a student, or as a weapon.”

 _Sirius_ hid his grimace – ever since the Order had regrouped, he had begun wondering that himself.

**Hermione looked at Harry, who was still staring at Crouch. “I could do with a Calming Draught, sir, but it can wait if Harry wants me to stay with him …”  
“I do.” Harry said quietly, turning to look at her. “Please?”**

**Hermione squeezed the hand not on her shoulder. “Of course.”**

“Thank you.” Lily whispered, more to herself than to Hermione. **  
**

**Dumbledore didn’t appear surprised. “Very well. Severus, if you could, I would like you to fetch Madame Pomfrey and help her get Alastor to the infirmary. Then I would like you to go down to the grounds and alert Cornelius Fudge – no doubt he will want to question Crouch himself.**

“Worse thing he could have done.” Harry muttered under his breath.

**Tell him I will be in the Hospital Wing in a half an hour’s time if he needs me.”**

**Snape nodded briskly and swept from the room, his robes billowing behind him.**

“I wonder how he does that.” Fred remarked. “Be good if we could emulate it for the shop.”

Ginny shook her head. “One track mind.” She muttered.

**Dumbledore nodded to Hermione and she stood up, pulling Harry to his feet.**

**He swayed dangerously, and she tucked herself under his arm again, frowning as he leaned heavily on her.**

“Sorry …” Harry began.

“It wasn’t that.” Hermione interrupted, but didn’t elaborate, allowing _Addie_ to do that for her.

**It wasn’t that she couldn’t take his weight – Harry was ridiculously light – but it was unlike him to admit so readily to needing help, even if it was silently.**

“Oh.” Harry murmured.

**“What happened to your leg?” She asked in a whisper.**

**“Maze.” Harry answered shortly. “Acromantula.”**

**Hermione bit her lip, only just managing to avoid swearing in front of the headmaster. “Whose brilliant idea was it to put one of those things in the maze?!” She whispered furiously.**

“Hagrid, probably.” Regulus frowned.

**“They could have …” She cut herself off hastily, before she could comment on the likelihood of a fatality, but Harry didn’t seem to notice as they made their way into the dark corridor.**

“I did.” Harry said softly. “Just didn’t want to mention it.”

**“I want you to come to my office first.” Dumbledore told them quietly. “Sirius, Amanda and Arabella are waiting for us there.”  
Hermione had completely forgotten that Dumbledore had sent McGonagall to find them, and felt a rush of relief flood through her.**

_Sirius_ squeezed her hand.

**She glanced sideways at her best friend and felt her heart clench – just what had happened when he left the maze?**

“I think we’re about to find out.” Jen said grimly.

**What little he had said seemed unbelievable – or, rather, it seemed too horrible for her to want to believe it. His emotions seemed to be swimming in an ocean of numbness, for which she was grateful, because her head was pounding, and she was sure that when he finally surfaced, they were bound to escape for once.**

“Did they?” Harry whispered, and Hermione tilted her head slightly towards _Sirius_ , silently telling him that she had left before they did.

**James and Lily walked either side of them, an invisible sentry, and it was James that broke the silence first, though only Hermione could hear him.**

**“Hermione,” he said quietly, “it might sound stupid, but … we don’t want Dumbledore knowing about us. There’s something froggy about all this.”**

Lily snorted. “Froggy?”

**“Froggy?” Lily repeated, a faint glimmer of amusement seeping into her tone.  
“Isn’t that the Muggle phrase?” James asked, sounding a little proud. “See, honey, I do listen.”**

**“Fishy, sweetheart.” Lily corrected. “There’s something _fishy_ about all this.”**

“You know that phrase.” Jen said, smirking slightly. “You did that to lighten the mood.”

James shrugged. “I don’t know, do I? Hasn’t happened yet.”

**Hermione coughed, covering the snort of laughter that threatened to escape, but she leaned in closer to Harry, repeating their request in a murmur.**

“Dumbledore didn’t hear you?” _Addie_ asked.

Harry shook his head. “He was too far ahead of us.”

**Harry looked confused, but nodded, before clearing his throat. “Professor Dumbledore?” His voice echoed through the silent corridor. “Where are Mr and Mrs Diggory?”**

Lily’s smile faded slightly, and she squeezed her son’s shoulder.

**Hermione and Lily exchanged a fond smile. _Trust Harry to think of everyone else first._**

**“They are with Professor Sprout.” For the first time, Dumbledore’s voice shook slightly, and James breathed a sigh that sounded relieved.**

James frowned. “Wonder what that’s about.”

“You’re probably relieved that Dumbledore cares that Cedric died.” _Addie_ said, turning the page. “You know, rather than just brushing it off as ‘big picture, doesn’t matter’.”

**“She was Cedric’s head of house and she … she knew him best.”**

**They reached the gargoyle, which sprang aside without a password, and they stepped on to the spiral staircase, which slowly carried them up to the heavy oak door.**

**The three occupants looked up when they entered, each of them white-faced and bearing the same fear-filled expression.**

_Sirius_ shuddered. “We had no idea what had happened. Arabella and Mandy knew a little, but of course McGonagall didn’t know it was me, so she didn’t bother telling me.”

**For a second, there was silence, and then Mandy let out a choked sob and darted forwards. “Oh, Harry!”**

“Watch his leg.” Lily murmured.

**“His leg …” Hermione said hoarsely, before she could throw her arms around him. “He’s hurt.”**

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Hermione.” **  
**

**“Thank you.” Mandy helped him to one of the heavy chairs, sitting him down to hug him tightly. “Oh, thank Merlin you’re alright!”**

**“What happened, Harry?” Arabella asked softly, kneeling in front of him. “I knew it – I knew something like this would happen.”**

“How?” Arabella asked, as Lily smiled gratefully at her friends. “How could I know?”

“You had a gut feeling that something bad would happen.” Harry answered. “You just didn’t know what.”

**Hermione stayed where she was, unable to move. The nausea welled up inside her again and she closed her eyes, swaying dangerously as she tried to swallow it back.**

_Addie_ squeezed Hermione’s hand, stroking the back with her thumb.

**Tears pricked behind her eyelids, and when she opened them again, Sirius was standing in front of her. “Are you alright?”**

**“Cedric’s dead.” Hermione said softly, looking up into his face. “I think I’m going to be sick.”**

**Sirius flicked his wand and turned her hastily towards the bowl he had just conjured, as her stomach promptly emptied itself.**

“Good reflexes.” James commented.

“Luckily for me.” _Sirius_ kissed Hermione’s forehead. “Getting covered in vomit is never a particularly enjoyable experience.”

“I don’t want to know how I know that.” Sirius decided.

**Once she was reduced to dry heaving, now through sobs, Sirius Vanished the bowl and led her over to the sofa. She collapsed into his offered embrace, tears seeping into his robes as he stroked her hair soothingly. She vaguely heard Dumbledore telling the three Marauders about Crouch, and what he had confessed.**

_Sirius_ shook his head. “If Hermione hadn’t been as distraught as she was, I would have hexed something.”

“What about me?” Harry pouted.

“Mandy and Arabella were with you.” _Sirius_ pointed out. “And you were in shock, so for the time being …”

**As the story came to a close and Dumbledore settled himself behind his desk, Hermione finally managed to pull herself together. “Sorry.” She mumbled, sitting up.**

**Sirius handed her a tissue. “You’re taking it better than I would have at your age.”**

“Much better.” David muttered.

**“Much better.” Mandy agreed.**

“There’s a new one.” Fred said, trying to inject some cheerfulness back into the conversation.

It didn’t work.

**“Harry, I need to know what happened when you touched that Portkey.” Dumbledore said quietly.**

“Now?” Lily asked, in a high voice. “Can’t he just give you a memory and have you watch it.”

 _Sirius_ sighed. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Shock.” _Addie_ answered.

“Besides,” Harry added, “I needed to talk about it. I wouldn’t have slept otherwise.”

**“We can leave that until morning, can’t we?” Sirius asked sharply, as Mandy rested a protective hand on Harry’s shoulder.**

**Dumbledore did not answer. In the corner, Fawkes sang one long, quivering note, and seemed to send warmth flooding through Hermione, right through to her very soul.**

“That helped.” Harry admitted.

**Seeing Harry’s pleading look, Hermione stood up, relieved to find that her earlier vertigo seemed to have vanished with her dinner. She knew that Harry would tell them, simply because he needed to get it all out now.**

Harry smiled at her. “You know me well.”

**On shaky legs, she made her way to the chair beside Harry, hearing Sirius follow her, and sank into it, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly.**

**Harry took a deep breath. “It took us to a graveyard.**

“Of course it did.” Lily muttered. “Bad things always happen in graveyards.”

**Looked like a private one; the graves were all really big and it looked like it was attached to this big, creepy old manor house.**

“The same house as the dream.” Narcissa whispered.

**Cedric and I pulled out our wands … there was a cauldron, a huge one … Then a man appeared holding a bundle. A voice said “Kill the spare” …**

“Kill the spare?” Jen repeated. “That’s it? That’s all he was?!”

“That all anyone ever is to Voldemort.” _Sirius_ said darkly. “Even his Death Eaters.”

**… there …” he faltered, his voice catching “… there was a flash of green light and … and Cedric was … he was dead.”**

“Did you hear the incantation?” David asked.

Harry nodded. “Yeah, but it sounded like the Killing Curse. I wouldn’t have known it wasn’t if Addie hadn’t said anything.” **  
**

**Mandy moved as if to pull Harry into her arms again, but Sirius stopped her, shaking his head.**

“Why?” Lily asked, hugging Harry to her.

“It was the right thing to do.” Harry said. “I needed to get it all out in one go. If she hugged me … I’d have broken down.”

**She frowned, but resisted.**

**Hermione agreed with Sirius though; Harry needed to get all of this out in one go, or he’d never finish. The words echoed in her mind. _The spare. That’s all he was to them._ Tears welled in her eyes once more, and she wiped them away with a free hand.**

**“The man tied me to a headstone labelled Tom Riddle.” Harry said softly, glancing at Hermione.**

“His father’s.” Regulus concluded. “It’s definitely the ritual I was thinking of then.”

**She understood, but, judging by the perplexed expressions of Sirius, Mandy and Arabella, they didn’t.**

“We didn’t know Tom Riddle was Voldemort’s father.” _Sirius_ explained.

**She could also see that there was something about this man that Harry was reluctant to tell.**

“Oh Merlin …” Mandy whispered. “It wasn’t … Tell me it wasn’t …”

 _Addie_ looked sadly at her and kept reading.

**“Who was it, Harry?” Hermione prompted softly, falling into the role of straight woman.**

**Harry sighed. “Wormtail. It was Wormtail.”**

Mandy sucked in a breath, closing her eyes.

“There is something that’s bothering me about that.” Hermione said slowly, over the tense silence. “Did Peter have the power to cast that fake Killing Curse?”

 _Sirius_ looked at _Addie_ , who pulled a face. “I don’t know.” She said slowly. “He must have done, but … I wouldn’t have thought so. Even taking into account the fact that we often underestimated him. Honestly, something’s been bugging me about the whole thing since I got here. I just can’t put my finger on what.” **  
**

**The three adults tensed behind them, and Hermione chanced a glance at Mandy, who had gone even paler, which she had previously considered impossible.**

Arabella hugged her best friend tightly.

**She turned to Arabella, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders and exchanged a dark look with Sirius.**

**“He lit a fire at the base of the cauldron and whatever was inside started bubbling. Then he opened the bundle and took out … something. Like a baby, but … but horrible.”**

“Like a baby?” Regulus asked.

Harry grimaced. “Easiest description, yes. Except it was red and raw and …” He trailed off with a shudder.

“What is it?” _Addie_ asked, catching Regulus’s expression.

“That’s definitely a soul fragment that’s gained physical form.” Regulus confirmed. “Which means the diary in the second book was definitely a Horcrux.”

“But?” David prompted.

“But when that Horcrux was destroyed, the Dark Lord didn’t have a physical form.” Regulus frowned. “So he should have been destroyed, unless …”

“Unless he made more than one.” _Addie_ finished.

Everyone looked at her in shock, Jen in horror. “No one would make more than one!” She protested. “You’d have to go beyond normal evil to make one, let alone more!”

“Well, Voldemort made at least two.” _Addie_ said matter-of-factly. “Reg thought he was aiming for seven, including his body, but he had six when Regulus died.”

“What was I mixed up in?” Regulus asked in a hushed voice.

 _Addie_ smiled sadly. “Something that was never going to end any other way. And a story that I really don’t want to tell just yet.”

**Harry shuddered, and Hermione tightened her grip. “He put it in the cauldron and started doing this … this ritual.”**

**Hermione closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe deeply. She knew there was nothing in her stomach to come up, but she also knew that wouldn’t stop her body from reacting.**

**Sirius’s hand rested on her shoulder and she leaned into him, unashamedly seeking comfort.**

“Anyone would need comfort.” David said softly. “Most aurors I know would not be handling this as well as you two.”

**“Bone of the father …” Harry said hoarsely. “Dust lifted from the grave I was standing on, went into the cauldron. Flesh of the servant …**

“Oh Merlin …” Mandy repeated, beginning to shake. Addie joined Arabella in hugging her, and Sirius helped her drink the Calming Potion that appeared on the table.

**… Wormtail … he … he cut off his right hand …”**

Several people let out cries of disgust and revulsion. Regulus moved to embrace Narcissa, who looked like she was about to throw up.

**Mandy let out a small cry and began to cry, crumbling into Arabella’s arms.**

Arabella let out a small sound of concern, stroking her best friend’s hair.

**Sirius moved to stand between the two teens, his other hand squeezing Harry’s shoulder.**

**“Blood of the enemy …” Harry swallowed hard. “He … He cut my arm and …”**

Lily pushed Harry’s sleeve up, running a finger across the scar that was left.

**“Dammit!” Sirius hissed.**

**Dumbledore stood up faster than Hermione would have considered possible and told Harry to stretch out his arm. Harry did so, revealing the tear in his sleeve and the cut beneath it.**

**“He said my blood would make him stronger than if he’d used someone else’s.” Harry said, staring at the cut himself. “He said the protection Mum left in me … it would be in him too. And he was right … he could touch me now. It didn’t hurt him … just me.”**

“Dumbledore looked … almost pleased for a second.” Harry said softly. “I just couldn’t understand why.”

“Something happened.” Jen frowned. “Surely Dumbledore would _want_ Harry to have the protection.”

“Maybe he knows something we don’t.” Remus suggested. “David did say that taking Harry’s blood would have unpredictable results.”

**Hermione could hear Lily muttering under her breath as she hovered between Harry and Mandy, but she didn’t bother trying to catch the words – she had a feeling she didn’t want to know.**

“Smart move.” _Sirius_ agreed. “Lily had a very … interesting vocabulary, especially when she was angry.”

**She stared at Harry in horror, unable to comprehend everything her best friend had gone through in the last few hours and why it had to be him anyway. Wasn’t it someone else’s turn to save the day by now?**

Harry laughed bitterly. “You’d think, wouldn’t you?”

“There has to be a reason.” _Sirius_ sighed. “I just don’t know what it is.”

 _Addie_ sighed heavily. “I do.”

“You said you …” Lily began.

“I lied.” _Addie_ said simply. “Because I only know part of it. There was a prophecy, but Voldemort only ever heard the first part – The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies …”

“So that’s why …” Lily whispered. “That’s why Neville and Harry were both in danger, because we all escaped him three times, and they were born at the end of July.”

“But surely the prophecy’s already been fulfilled.” Hermione said. “Harry vanquished him in 1982.”

 _Addie_ sighed. “I’d be inclined to agree, Hermione – unfortunately, a lot of prophecies are self-fulfilling, this being one of them. It doesn’t matter if we think the prophecy’s been fulfilled. As long as Voldemort continues to believe that Harry’s a threat, he will continue to attempt to neutralise him.”

“Of course, that depends on the rest of the prophecy.” Jen frowned. “If I was Voldemort, I’d be trying to find out what it is.”

“How?” Addie asked. “Prophecies are kept in the Department of Mysteries, and only someone the prophecy’s about can remove it from the shelf. Voldemort can’t walk into the Ministry of Magic, can he?”

“Dumbledore seems to think so.” _Sirius_ said. “He’s got the Order guarding the Department of Mysteries at the moment. I was wondering why.”

**As though reading her mind, Sirius moved his hand to grasp hers tightly.**

**Dumbledore had seated himself behind his desk again. “Very well. Voldemort has overcome that particular obstacle.**

Lily scowled. “Wouldn’t call it an obstacle.” She muttered under her breath.

**Please continue, Harry.”**

**Harry took another shuddering breath, clinging to Hermione’s hand like a lifeline. “For a moment, nothing happened. But then … he climbed out of the cauldron … Voldemort … he came back … He used Wormtail’s Dark Mark to call the Death Eaters … gave Wormtail a silver hand …”**

“That was … nice of him.” Addie said suspiciously.

“Too nice.” Regulus agreed. “Harry, what were his exact words when he did that?”

Harry thought for a second. “May your loyalty never waver again.”

Regulus nodded. “I thought as much. It’s cursed. If his loyalty _does_ waver, there’ll be a price to pay.”

**Hermione furrowed her brow. Even as a reward, that seemed too nice of Voldemort. There had to be a catch somewhere.**

“Good girl.” _Sirius_ murmured.

**“He forgave the Death Eaters … at least I think he did.”**

“I doubt it.” Regulus stated with certainty. “As soon as he can afford to make them pay, he certainly will.”

**Harry frowned. “He seemed pretty angry with them … said they should have known that he wasn’t gone … that he had travelled further than any other down the path of immortality.**

“Oh, shit.” Regulus sighed. “That confirms the six Horcruxes theory.”

“How?” David asked.

“Because the most Horcruxes one wizard has ever made is five.” Regulus answered darkly. “He went mental and killed himself.”

“But that wouldn’t have worked, would it?” Lily asked.

“It would.” Jen corrected. “It would just mean that his soul was forced to hang around until the Horcruxes were destroyed. If memory serves me, he haunted his family and begged them to get on with it.” She glanced at Regulus, who nodded briefly, but didn’t acknowledge her in any other way.

**He addressed them by name.” He glanced at Hermione, who didn’t need prompting to rummage in her cloak for a piece of parchment and a quill.**

**“Could I borrow some ink, sir?” She asked softly.**

**Dumbledore pushed an ink-pot towards her. “A wise idea, Miss Granger.”**

“Not that it did any good.” Hermione muttered.

**Blushing slightly, Hermione loaded the quill and nodded to Harry.**

**“Lucius Malfoy … Crabbe and Goyle Sr … Macnair … Nott … Avery …” Harry listed. “He passed over quite a few of them … There were about thirty there.”**

David shook his head, looking disgusted. “That many of the inner circle got away with it?”

“Well, you know,” Draco shrugged. “They were all under the Imperius Curse, the poor things.”

 **“I’m sure there’s more than that.” Hermione murmured. “That was probably his most faithful, right?”**  
“As always.” Sirius confirmed from behind her. “His inner circle. I suppose there were gaps?”  
Harry nodded. “There was one really big one. He said that three people in that gap were dead … one was too cowardly to return …”

**“Karkaroff.” Hermione put in.**

**Harry nodded. “One he believed had left him forever, and one who was his most loyal.”**

“Assuming the first is Snape,” _Addie_ said, “that makes the three dead Rosier, Wilkes and Regulus.”

“You know the order of the Inner Circle well enough to guess that?” _Sirius_ asked in a strained voice.

 _Addie_ smiled softly at him. “No. But Regulus used to complain about Karkaroff – didn’t trust him – and Snape. And I know he was beside Rosier and Wilkes.”

**“Crouch.” Hermione scowled.**

**“He told them that he was the reason I was there. He …” Harry’s voice, which had got stronger, shook and died. “He cast the Cruciatus Curse on me.”**

“Oh Merlin …” Lily whimpered, hugging Harry to her. James rested his head on his son’s, gripping his arm as tightly as he dared.

**Now Arabella let out a cry, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, but no one moved, staring in horror at Harry.**

**“Wormtail untied me … gave me my wand back …**

“Voldemort’s arrogance is going to be the end of him.” Ginny predicted, shakily.

“Let’s hope so.” Hermione agreed.

**Voldemort forced me to duel …” Harry closed his eyes. “Every single spell promptly flew out of my head.”**

David nodded understandingly. **  
**

**“I’ve been there.” Sirius murmured. The ‘but you shouldn’t have been’ was left unspoken.**

**“He cast the Killing Charm and I cast the Disarming Charm …” Harry sighed. “In hindsight, it seems stupid.”**

“Still here, aren’t you?” Regulus asked.

 _Addie_ snorted, but kept reading before anyone could ask.

**“You’re still here, aren’t you?” Hermione asked gently.**

Hermione blushed, but smiled at her ‘uncle’, who smiled back. Remus gripped Jen’s hand, knowing he would need to convince her to talk to Regulus at some point.

**“Our wands connected …” Harry said, opening his eyes finally.**

“Priori Incantatem.” Regulus nodded. “Like we guessed.”

**“The wands connected?” Sirius repeated. “Why?”**

**“Priori Incantatem.” Dumbledore murmured, catching Harry’s eye.**

“He knows then.” James frowned. “How?”

“You’ll see.” Hermione answered.

“Oh no, it’s back!” Sirius groaned, getting a few chuckles.

**“The reverse spell effect?” Arabella questioned, sounding confused. “What does that have to do with anything?”**

**“Harry’s wand and Voldemort’s wand share cores.” Dumbledore explained. “Each contains a feather from the same phoenix.”**

**Hermione’s eyebrows disappeared into her hair. Harry had never mentioned _that_ – although she could hardly blame him.**

**His eyes flickered in her direction and she attempted a smile, squeezing his hand comfortingly.**

“Like I’d care.” She said, leaning across to kiss Harry’s cheek.

**“This phoenix, in fact.” Dumbledore added, effectively distracting Harry.**

“Fawkes?” Lily asked in surprise.

**“My wand’s core came from Fawkes?” He asked.**

**“Indeed it did. Mr Ollivander wrote to me the moment you left his shop four years ago, to tell me that you had been chosen by the second wand.”**

“What did it have to do with Dumbledore?” James frowned. “It’s not like brother wands mean anything.”

“His phoenix, I suppose.” Jen answered. “Although I doubt he contacts everyone else connected with a donor.”

**“So what happens when a wand meets its brother?” Sirius asked.**

“I’m surprised you didn’t know.” Regulus remarked.

“Wand-lore never particularly interested me.” _Sirius_ retorted.

**Hermione opened her mouth automatically, then closed it again.**

**Dumbledore smiled at her, his eyes twinkling. “Do you know, Miss Granger?”**

**Hermione blushed slightly. “Brother wands will not work properly against one another. If the wands are forced to duel, one of the wands will force the other to regurgitate spells it has performed in reverse until the connection is broken.”**

Lily and James glanced at each other, wondering what they said.

**“Correct; ten points to Gryffindor.” Dumbledore glanced at Harry. “Which means that some form of Cedric appeared.”  
Mandy gasped. “He … He came back to life?”**

Mandy shook her head. “No spell can do that – what was I thinking?”

“Shock, I should think.” _Sirius_ said kindly. “That … and you feel somewhat responsible – wrongly, I hasten to add – for not noticing what Peter had become. Wishful thinking, I suppose.”

“Well, I didn’t notice, did I?” Mandy whispered.

“And neither did we.” _Sirius_ said firmly. “That responsibility does not lie on you alone.”

**“Unfortunately, no spell can reawaken the dead.” Dumbledore said heavily. “All that would have happened is a kind of reverse echo … a shadow of the living Cedric would have emerged from the wand … am I correct, Harry?”**

**Harry nodded, his hand tightening around Hermione’s, seeking reassurance. “He told me to hang on … And then an old man appeared, with a walking stick …**

“Frank.” Alice realised. “From the dream, I mean – not my Frank.”

**… I think he was a Muggle; he said something about Voldemort being a real wizard and that I could beat him. And then a woman appeared – I think it was Bertha Jorkins … she told me to hold on … and then …” He swallowed hard. “Then Mum appeared … she told me to hang on because Dad wanted to see me …**

“Of course I did.” James whispered, pressing a kiss to his son’s head.

**… and then …”**

**“Then your father appeared.” Hermione finished softly, seeing that Harry was having trouble.**

**Harry nodded, and Mandy finally freed herself from Arabella’s arms and pulled Harry into a hug.**

“I needed it by then.” Harry said softly.

**He accepted it gratefully, releasing Hermione’s hand to bury his face in her shoulder.**

**Hermione looked up at Sirius, who was watching them with an unreadable expression. She’d never tried to push thoughts into other people’s heads, but now seemed as good a time as any to try it.**

“It’ll be fine.” _Addie_ said. “That’s fairly easy. It’s holding a conversation that’s the tricky part.”

**_ James and Lily want to keep this a secret from Dumbledore for now. I’ll tell Mandy and Arabella later. _ **

**For a second, Hermione didn’t think it had worked – at least, Sirius didn’t seem startled by a sudden voice in his head …**

“You always were good at keeping a straight face.” _Addie_ remarked affectionately.

**… but then he caught her eye and nodded slightly.**

**“What happened then, Pumpkin?” Mandy asked softly, running a rhythmic hand through his hair.**

**“Dad told me that they could stay for a few moments to give me some time …**

“How?” James asked. “I mean, how could we give you some time?”

“Well, you were pretty difficult to see through for a start.” Harry said, smiling weakly. “You weren’t like ghosts – you were more solid than that. You created like a shield between me and them. It gave me enough time.”

**… but that I needed to get back to the Triwizard Cup …” Harry answered, turning his head so they could hear him. “Cedric … he asked me to bring his body back … When Dad told me to, I broke the connection and ran to Cedric … I summoned the Cup and we landed back on the Quidditch pitch.”**

**A sudden lack of pressure on her shoulder caused Hermione to look up again. Sirius had slumped into another chair, his hands over his face.**

“I felt like I’d failed you.” _Sirius_ said softly. “Again.”

 _Addie_ set the book on her lap and wrapped her arms around him, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “You did everything you could, love. It was not your fault.”

“She’s right, Padfoot.” Harry said, as _Addie_ picked up the book again.

**With a rush of sound, Fawkes took off from his perch and landed on the floor beside Harry’s leg. Resting his crimson head against the wound, he sang a few notes, and two pearly white tears slid from his feathers onto Harry.**

“That’s twice Fawkes has healed Harry.” Lily remarked. “Do you think that means something?”

“I doubt it has anything to do with the wand.” David said. “Although it does mean that Harry has a good soul – phoenixes won’t heal just anyone.”

**Hermione watched with no shortage of relief as the skin healed, knitting back together like the wound had never been there.**

**“Thank you, Fawkes.” She breathed, knowing better than to reach out and touch the beautiful bird. Phoenixes were notoriously difficult to handle, and very picky about who handled them. They were even pickier about who they donated their tears to, and Fawkes had cried on Harry twice now.**

**To her surprise, the phoenix fluttered up to her knee, looking her straight in the eye. Hermione’s breath caught in her throat and she lifted a hand, hesitating, but Fawkes butted his head against it, allowing her to stroke his magnificent head.**

“What’s all that about?” Jen asked.

Hermione shrugged. “I still don’t know.”

**After a few seconds, Fawkes seemed to find what he was looking for in her eyes. He sang a few melodic notes that sent shivers down her spine and flew back to his perch, tucking his head under his wing.**

**“Hermione?” Sirius asked quietly. “What was all that about?”**

**Hermione shook her head slowly. “I have no idea.”**

“Stop repeating yourselves.” Mandy joked weakly, causing a few people to sigh in relief.

**A soft cough brought their attention back to the Headmaster, whose eyes were twinkling as though he knew something they didn’t. A quick scan of the surface, however, told Hermione a whole other story – he was as befuddled as she was and he didn’t like it.**

“That’s interesting.” Regulus murmured. “That’s very interesting.”

**“You have shown bravery beyond anything I would have expected of you tonight, Harry.” Dumbledore told him gravely. “You have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Lord Voldemort at the height of his powers and you have now given us all we have a right to expect.**

“He’s given you _more_ than you have a right to expect!” Addie snapped. “He’s fourteen, for Merlin’s sake!”

Sirius rubbed her shoulders, easing her back into his arms. “Calm down, sweetheart. It’s not going to change anything.”

**You will come with me to the Hospital Wing – I do not want you returning to your dorm tonight.”**

“That’s something at least.” Lily said, clearly in agreement with Addie.

**It was a mark of how awful Harry felt that he didn’t argue at this – normally, it took Hermione a good two hours to get him to even go near the infirmary.**

**“We’ll stay with you, pumpkin.” Arabella told him softly. “We’re not going anywhere.”**

James and Lily beamed at the two girls, who coloured slightly, but smiled back.

**“Thanks.” Harry mumbled, standing up. His leg may have healed, but the exhaustion and after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse were starting to hit him, and he sagged against her as she wrapped an arm around him.**

**“Sirius?” Dumbledore asked. “Would you like to stay with him?”**

James opened his mouth, but _Addie_ , without looking up, said, “Don’t bother, James.”

**“Ask a silly question.” James muttered.**

“How’d you know that’s what I was going to say?” James asked.

 _Addie_ shrugged. “You don’t change much.”

**Hermione disguised her snort with a cough, while Sirius simply nodded and transformed into Padfoot, pressing himself against her legs.**

“Madam Pomfrey won’t be happy.” Alice predicted.

“Neither was Mum.” Fred said. “She’s superstitious.”

**The six made their way to the hospital wing, where – rather predictably – they found Mrs Weasley, Bill, Ron and Ginny, talking nine yards a minute, grouped around Madam Pomfrey, who looked very hassled.**

“Poor woman.” Narcissa muttered.

**Everyone looked up when they entered, and Mrs Weasley let out a muffled scream, moving towards them. “Harry! Oh, Harry!”**

“That’s the last thing he needs.” Lily fretted.

“We’ll stop her.” Mandy said confidently. **  
**

**“Not now, Molly.” Mandy said firmly, stepping between them.**

Mandy nodded to herself.

**“Harry has been through an awful ordeal tonight and he just had to relive it for us. What he needs is peace and sleep and quiet.”**

**“Indeed.” Dumbledore agreed. “You are welcome to stay with him, but I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer.”**

**The intervention seemed to have quelled Mrs Weasley’s initial reaction, for which Hermione was grateful. She loved the woman dearly, but she could be a little overbearing and that really wasn’t what Harry needed right now.**

“No, it wasn’t.” Harry agreed.

“We’d have held her back, Harry.” Ginny assured him. “We could see that you didn’t need that.”

**Mrs Weasley nodded seriously, before rounding on the other three. “Did you hear? He needs _quiet_!” She hissed, as though her children had expressed a wish to throw a party right there.**

“Well, we did.” Ginny said. “Didn’t you hear us, Hermione? Bill had the music, Ron was in charge of food – eating it, obviously.”

“What about you?” Draco asked.

“Well, I was in charge of bringing at least some class to the event.” Ginny answered jokingly.

“Then I regret to inform you that my invitation seemed to have got lost on the way.” Draco responded.

Hermione caught Harry’s eye, and they exchanged a mystified look. If Hermione didn’t know better, she’d say they were … flirting.

**Harry cleared his throat, catching Hermione’s attention. She caught his eye and he lifted his left hand to his forehead, tracing a circle around his scar, before tapping his belt where his wand was.**

**Hermione glanced down at her right hand and made a fist, before opening and closing it rapidly, silently assuring him that she understood. When the Weasleys asked her (which she knew Ron would), she would tell them everything, except the connection between the wands.**

“Useful, that.” David remarked. “We should have something like that in the aurors.”

**“Headmaster,” Madam Pomfrey said suddenly, eyeing Padfoot with trepidation, “may I ask what …?”  
“This dog will be staying with Harry for a while.” Dumbledore informed her vaguely. “I assure you he is incredibly well-trained.”**

_Addie_ snorted. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“I’m very well-trained.” _Sirius_ retorted.

 _Addie_ raised an eyebrow. “Covers.” She said simply. “As in, you steal them.”

“And _you_ drool in your sleep.” _Sirius_ responded. “Nobody’s perfect.”

“I don’t want to know how you know that.” Regulus said fervently.

“Good.” _Addie_ said. “I’ll move on then.”

**“Oh, very well.” Madam Pomfrey huffed, ushering Harry to a bed.**

**Hermione moved over to the window, sinking onto a seat and resting her head against the wall.**

**“Padfoot,” Mandy said quietly, “go and wait with Hermione while we get Harry settled, okay?”  
Padfoot trotted over to where Hermione sat, jumping on to the chair beside her, resting his head on her knee. She didn’t look down, but rested a hand on his head.**

Hermione rested her head on _Sirius_ ’s shoulder. Reliving everything had made her much more tired than she felt she had any right to be.

**Arabella smiled innocently. “I swear he understands everything we say.” She glanced at Mrs Weasley, who was staring at Padfoot as though she’d seen a ghost. “I assure you, Molly, his uncanny resemblance to a Grim is merely coincidence. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”**

**“Rats, he doesn’t like.” Ginny added sweetly, earning a chuckle from Ron and a glare from Hermione.**

“Nice.” Remus chuckled.

**“Harry, I will wait here until you are settled.” Dumbledore told him. “Then I will be back to see you as soon as I have met with Minister Fudge.**

“Some meeting.” _Sirius_ muttered.

**I would like you to remain here tomorrow until I have spoken to the school.”**

**“What about the rest of term?” Bill asked, a sharp tone in his voice.**

“He was worried.” Fred said, beating Lily to it. “Like I said, he’d practically adopted Harry as another brother.”

**“There’s still two weeks.”**

**“I’m alright.” Harry insisted in a whisper. “I’m just tired.”**

Hermione shook her head with a fond smile. **  
**

**Hermione snorted mentally, but didn’t retort, even as the doors to the hospital wing opened.**

**Fred and George, both white-faced, strode into the Hospital Wing, only to be intercepted by their mother.**

**“Sorry we’re late …” Fred said.**

**“… we had to talk the girls out of coming.” George finished.**

“The girls?” James questioned.

“Angelina, Alicia and Katie.” Fred answered. “They were on the verge of hysteria.”

**Hermione couldn’t help smiling. “How did you do that?”**

**“Promised them they could …”**

**“… fuss over Harry all they liked tomorrow.”**

“And they did.” Harry said, smiling.

**Harry rolled his eyes. “Thanks guys; throw me to the wolves, why don’t you?”**

“I resent that.” Jen and Remus said in unison.

Harry held his hands up. “And by wolves, I obviously don’t mean you two.”

**“Come on, Harry.” Madam Pomfrey said softly, guiding him behind a curtain.**

**The Weasleys approached Hermione, Molly explaining what they knew to the twins in an undertone.**

“Which wasn’t much.” Fred muttered.

**“Hey Padfoot.” Ron greeted, scratching his ears.**

Hermione smirked. “And you already knew.”

“We got a little distracted.” Fred said, defending himself. “Forgive me if it slipped out minds.”

“Normally, I would.” Hermione said. “But figuring out who the Marauders were was your life’s ambition, second only to opening the shop. You are _never_ going to live this down.”

**Hermione saw the twins perk up at the nickname and gave them a warning glance. Thankfully, for once, they listened, not trying to question them.**

**“Is he really alright?” Ron asked.**

**“Ron!” Mrs Weasley hissed.**

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Like he would have asked if Hermione couldn’t tell.” **  
**

**“It’s alright, Mrs Weasley.” Hermione said tiredly. “Harry told me I could tell you.” Even as she spoke, her eyes were darting around the room, making absolutely certain they couldn’t be overheard.**

“Were you thinking Skeeter again?” Addie asked.

Hermione nodded.

**After all, if she was right about Rita Skeeter …**

“Right about what?” Lily asked impatiently.

**… locked doors would make no …**

**Hermione narrowed her eyes.**

**There was a beetle on the window sill.**

“No way.” Sirius whispered.

**A beetle with markings very similar to the glasses Rita wore … much like the beetle Viktor had pulled from her hair on the bank of the lake … like the beetle Ginny had noticed on a statue when she and Ron accidentally overheard Hagrid admitting he was a half-giant … like the beetle Hermione was sure had been fluttering around the Divination classroom when Harry had his last dream …**

“Got her.” David said grimly. “What did you do?”

Hermione blushed slightly and didn’t answer.

**She caught Ginny’s eye, nodding towards the window.**

**Ginny glanced that way and nodded, dropping both of the bags she carried to the chair on Hermione’s other side. “I got your bag, Hermione.” She said casually, moving over to the window. “It’s a bit chilly in here, isn’t it?”**

“Just shutting her out won’t help.” James frowned.

**The window slammed shut, causing everyone to jump.**

**“Sorry.” Ginny said sheepishly. “Wind caught it.”**

**Hermione smiled weakly. “It’s fine. Gin, if you don’t mind me filling you in later, could you run my bag back to the dorm please?”**

**“Sure.” Ginny shouldered the two bags again, one hand in a tight fist.**

“You kidnapped her?” David asked.

“Technically,” Ginny said calmly, “I was bug-collecting.”

**“I’ll see you later. Feel better, Harry.”**

**“Hermione,” Ron prompted as Ginny hurried away. “What happened?”**

**Hermione sighed. “Well … you’re not going to believe who put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire …”**

“I still don’t believe it.” Lily said, shaking her head.

“That’s the end of the chapter.” _Addie_ said softly. “Do we want to take a break?”

“I think that’s a good idea.” Remus answered, before anyone could answer. “I think we all need to get our heads round what’s happened.”

“Really?” Jen whispered, as the group seemed to collectively agree and split into smaller groups.

“You need to talk to your brother.” Remus responded quietly. “And I think she and _Sirius_ need a moment as well.”

“Why?” Jen asked.

“Because after this book, we might all be on our way, and they get separated again.” Remus answered.

Jen rolled her eyes. “No, I mean why do I need to talk to my brother?”

“Because you have a lot of unspoken things between you.” Remus said patiently.

“I have nothing to say to him.” Jen stated flatly.

“That’s not true.” Remus murmured, kissing her head. “You know that’s not true.”

Jen crossed her arms. “Not going to happen.”

Remus sighed. “Sorry, Jen.”

Jen’s brow crinkled. “Why are you … Remus!” She cried in protest, as he stood up, hoisted her to her feet and threw her over his shoulder. “Put me down!”

Remus ignored her, walking over to where Regulus was talking to Narcissa and Draco. “Regulus,” he said pleasantly, as though his girlfriend wasn’t screaming threats at him, “can we have a moment?”

Regulus frowned at the scene, but nodded, following Remus into the next room. Remus set Jen on her feet, catching her arm before she could run. “Sorry, Jen, but you two need to talk, or you’ll end up hexing him.” He hurried from the room before she could argue, shutting the door behind him, praying that she wouldn’t hate him for this.

Jen was left staring at her older brother, the one relative she had been able to trust when she was a child, the first man to break her heart, the only person who still had the power to break her.


	30. Chapter Twenty Eight - The Order of the Phoenix

After a few minutes of silence, Regulus broke it. “Jen …”

“Don’t.” Jen said tightly, her voice almost breaking but not quite. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Well, I’ve got a lot to say to you.” Regulus retorted. “I’m sorry. I’ve been the worst brother in the world, Jenny, and …”

“You left me.” Jen interrupted. _Apparently I do have things to say._ “You _left_ me, Reg! You left both of us! You promised me – you promised that it didn’t matter what house I was sorted into, you promised that you’d love me no matter what, and you lied to me!”

“Jen, I didn’t …”

“You just walked away!” Jen continued, ignoring him. “And I could handle it at school, Reg, but at home too? The day we left? You knew what Mother and Father would do to us, and you just left! Did you honestly think they wouldn’t hurt us, or did you just sit there and pretend you couldn’t hear us screaming?!”

Regulus had gone very pale. “They didn’t … I couldn’t …” His expression cleared, although the colour didn’t return. “A Silencing Charm … They put up a bloody Silencing Charm … I didn’t hear a thing – I thought they’d just kicked you out and that meant you were safe – you were better off without any of us, Jenny, and …”

“Dammit, Reg, I needed you!” Jen shouted, the dam finally breaking. Tears spilled from her eyes and she wiped at them furiously. “I needed you, and you abandoned me!”

Throwing caution to the wind, Regulus pulled his sister into a tight hug, ignoring her attempts to break free of his grip. After a few minutes, she gave up and slumped against him, clinging to him just as tightly, if not more.

“Jenny,” he whispered, when her sobs had subsided somewhat, “I did not lie to you. I love you, and I am so proud of you, I really am. I’ve failed dismally at actually showing you that, I’ll admit. But I do, Jenny, I swear.” He loosened his grip to brush the hair from her face. “You’re my baby sister, Jenny, and I adore you, and I’m so, so sorry.”

Out in the main room, everyone had split into smaller groups, aside from Remus, who was pacing up and down outside the door, hoping for the best.

 _Sirius_ and _Addie_ were in the small kitchen area, the latter trying to rustle up some snacks. Her hands were shaking though, and finally, _Sirius_ guided her away from the counter and sat her down. “It’ll be alright.”

“No, it won’t.” _Addie_ whispered. “A few more chapters and …”

 _Sirius_ cut her off with a kiss. “Cross that bridge when we come to it.” He said firmly. “Come on.”

They left the kitchen, just as Regulus and Jen left the other room. Remus stopped pacing, but Jen walked straight into his arms and kissed him softly.

“Thank you.” She whispered. “You were right.”

Remus relaxed, kissing her head. “I was scared you’d hate me for that.”

Kissing his cheek, Jen pulled him over to the sofa. “I love you, Remus. I could never hate you.”

By mutual consent, everyone drifted back together, all staring at the book that lay innocently on the coffee table.

“Who wants to read next?” _Addie_ asked, leaning against _Sirius_.

“I will.” Alice said, picking the book up.

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

**The Order of the Phoenix**

David frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Why?” James asked. “Surely Voldemort being back is a good reason for the Order to regroup.”

David shook his head. “The point of the Order was that the Ministry weren’t taking the threat seriously. But they know how bad Voldemort is, so there should be no need for the Order.”

“You’d think, wouldn’t you?” _Sirius_ agreed mildly.

**After fifteen minutes, Hermione had fallen silent, horribly aware of Mrs Weasley’s halting sobs from another chair. The twins had each grasped one of her arms and guided her to a seat as soon as Hermione had told them that Voldemort had risen again.**

“Poor Molly.” Lily whispered. “She lost her parents, sister and brothers, right?”

 _Sirius_ nodded. “Fabian and Gideon were aurors.”

**As per her promise to Harry, she had left out the wand connection and everything that they had done, making it sound like Harry had grabbed the Cup through a lucky guess and returned Cedric out of his own initiative – it wasn’t too much of a stretch; Harry’s luck was notorious in dangerous situations and he would never have left Cedric there if he could help it, even without his last request.**

“Damn right I wouldn’t.” Harry agreed, now sitting beside Hermione, gripping her hand.

**Ron had sunk, white-faced, into the seat beside him, staring wordlessly across the room, where curtains hid Harry from view. By now, he had taken a Dreamless Sleep Potion, for which Hermione was grateful, because it meant that he couldn’t see, or sense, the sympathetic and pitying glances Mrs Weasley was throwing in his direction.**

Lily rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything.

**Hermione herself stared at her lap, unable to meet anyone’s gaze, stroking Padfoot’s head rhythmically. After a few minutes, he lifted his head, whining softly, and Hermione raised a questioning eyebrow.**

“What are you up to?” Addie asked.

Sirius shrugged. “How should I know?”

Addie rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t asking you.”

 _Sirius_ chuckled. “I was reminding her of something.”

**In response, he jumped down and padded over to the curtained bed. Mrs Weasley half-rose in protest …**

This time, James rolled his eyes, but Lily squeezed his hand. “She doesn’t know Sirius is an Animagus, remember?” She whispered. “Generally, animals aren’t allowed in hospital wards, it’s unsanitary.”

**… but Ron squeezed his mother’s hand and shook his head.**

**Hermione followed him, slipping through the curtains in time to see Padfoot jump onto the bed, curling up at Harry’s feet. He looked over at Mandy and Arabella, and whined again.**

“Of course.” Mandy said. “We don’t know yet.”

**Hermione smiled slightly. “Right.” She whispered. “Of course. Mandy, Arabella, could I have a word please? In private?”**

**Both women looked reluctant to leave Harry’s side …**

“He’ll be alright.” Lily said. “He’s out cold.”

**… but the silent plea in Hermione’s eyes convinced them, and they rose from their seats by Harry’s head, and followed Hermione into the main ward.**

**“Madam Pomfrey?” Hermione asked quietly. “Is there somewhere I can talk to Mandy and Arabella in private?”**

**Madam Pomfrey looked up from checking over the real Mad-Eye Moody.**

“Was Alastor alright?” David asked.

“Perfectly fine.” Hermione assured him. “More paranoid than ever, admittedly …”

**“You can use my office if you wish, Miss Granger.”**

**“Thank you.” Hermione led the two women into the office and looked around carefully, checking for any portraits that could report back to the Headmaster.**

“Good girl.” Jen murmured.

**There were none, so she locked and silenced the door, before turning to face them.**

**“What’s wrong, Hermione?” Mandy asked.**

**“Nothing’s wrong.” Hermione assured her, allowing herself a smile as Lily appeared beside her. “There’s just a few things that you should know. First of all, I’m an empath.”**

“We probably already know.” Arabella remarked. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Sirius began telling us about James and Lily before you got to Dumbledore’s office.” **  
**

**Unlike when she told Ron and Ginny, there was no sudden spike of emotion in the air. Both women simply smiled at her, as though they already knew.**

**“Sirius told us that much while we were waiting in Dumbledore’s office.” Arabella told her gently.**

“Ara, stop repeating yourself.” Mandy teased, earning herself a jab in the ribs from her best friend.

**“He also said there was something else, but that was when you arrived.”**

**Hermione nodded, taking a deep breath. “Well, there’s only really one way to do this. James and Lily are alive.”**

**Beside her, Lily burst out laughing at the looks of utter shock that appeared on their faces. “Okay, they win!”**

“Lily!” Arabella and Mandy cried.

“Sorry.” Lily shrugged. “But there’s probably not a lot of fun to be had stuck where I am. Give me some leeway.”

**“Be nice, Lily.” Hermione chided. “They’re in shock, and I hardly blame them!”**

**“Hermione,” Arabella said weakly, “did you just say what I think you said?”**

**“Yes, I did.” Hermione answered, before sighing heavily. “Dammit, Ginny took my bag back to the dorms, didn’t she?”**

Mandy grimaced. “That’ll be hard to prove without the transcript.”

“It was.” Hermione said, easing herself out of Harry’s arms. Standing, she crossed the room to sit beside Mandy. “And I’m very sorry for what’s about to happen.”

**“She did, dear.” Lily confirmed. “And the transcript was in there.”**

**“I know.” Hermione ran a hand through her hair. “Ask me something. Something only Lily would know.”**

Arabella frowned. “There won’t be many things. Mandy and I tell each other everything.”

**Mandy and Arabella exchanged a wary glance. “There aren’t many things,” Mandy said slowly. “Everything I can think of, other people knew as well …” She hesitated, before pulling a face. “No, there is something. I never told anyone else, but Lily and I spoke a week before she was … killed.”**

“And I never told Arabella?” Mandy asked, sceptically.

“Given the subject matter,” Hermione said slowly, “and the timing, I don’t think you wanted to bring it up.”

Mandy closed her eyes. “It’s about Peter, isn’t it?”

**“Kidnapped.” Hermione corrected helpfully. “What about?”**

**Mandy raised an eyebrow. “You tell me.”  
Hermione turned to Lily, who looked both guilty and upset. “She told me she was worried because Peter was acting out of sorts lately … she was reconsidering going to Albania … worrying about him. I …”**

Alice broke off. “Oh dear.”

“What?” Lily asked, looking worriedly over at Mandy. “What did I think was going on?”

**She sighed. “I thought that … I thought he was planning to propose …**

Lily’s hand flew to her mouth with a gasp.

**… and I told her as such.”**

“Oh, Mandy, I’m so sorry!” Lily whispered.

Mandy didn’t answer, looking at _Sirius_. “Why would Lily have jumped to that conclusion?”

 _Sirius_ grimaced. “Honestly, Mandy, I didn’t see the signs, but then I wasn’t looking. If you’d told me he was acting strangely … I probably would have made the same assumption.”

**Hermione felt the colour drain from her face. “Oh Merlin …” She turned to Mandy. “You’re not going to make me say it, are you?”**

“I think so.” Mandy murmured.

**Mandy was just as pale, but her face was set. “Unfortunately, Hermione, yes, I am.”**

**“You’re a glutton for punishment.” Hermione muttered, catching her arm. Leaning in, she repeated Lily’s words in a whisper. “Believe me?” She asked, pulling back.**

**Mandy nodded, closing her eyes. “I believe you.”**

“I’m sorry.” Hermione said softly.

“Don’t be.” Mandy responded. “I was the one who made you say it.”

**Arabella stared between them. “Okay, first of all, what did you _say_? Second of all, how is this possible?”**

“There’s a long story.” Fred said lightly.

**Before Hermione had time to explain, Mandy raised a hand. “Listen.”**

Lily groaned. “What now?”

**Hermione frowned, flicking her wand at the door. “ _Finite Incantatem._ ”**

**Raised voices were approaching the Hospital Wing.**

“What is it with people shouting around the infirmary?” David asked. “Better yet, why’s Poppy allowing it?”

**Silently agreeing to put the discussion on hold, the three left Pomfrey’s office to see that the Weasleys were on their feet, staring at the doors.**

Fred shook his head, scowling. “We knew something was wrong.”

**“They’ll wake him if they don’t shut up.” Arabella hissed, moving to Harry’s side as he began to shift. She ran a hand through his messy hair, humming under her breath, and he stilled almost instantly.**

Lily gave her a grateful smile, but didn’t speak.

**“What are they shouting about?” Ron asked quietly. “Nothing else can have happened, can it?”**

“You’d be surprised.” Hermione muttered mutinously.

**“I didn’t hear anything on my way.” Ginny said, making Hermione jump. “I got back about a minute ago.”**

Ginny shuddered at the memory of how close she’d been to the Dementor. It wasn’t until Draco tightened his arm and pulled her closer that she realised that she had automatically settled back against him when they’d returned to read.

**She said to her questioning glance. “I left your bag on your bed.”**

**“Thanks.” Hermione moved over to Harry as well, resting a hand on Padfoot’s head.**

_Addie_ gripped _Sirius_ ’s hand.

**“That’s Fudge’s voice.” Mrs Weasley whispered. “And Minerva McGonagall’s, isn’t it?”**

“Whoa, Minnie was yelling at the Minister?” Sirius asked.

“That can’t be good.” Remus agreed.

**“It is.” Mandy confirmed. “But why they’re arguing, I don’t know.”  
“Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva …”**

“Regrettable.” Hermione muttered, moving back to Harry’s side. “Idiot.” **  
**

**“You should never have brought it inside the castle!”**

“Brought what inside the castle?” David asked slowly.

**The doors to the hospital wing burst open, causing everyone to jump. Padfoot jumped down from the bed to sit at Hermione’s heels as she sunk into a chair beside Harry, overcome by a sudden surge of anger.**

“McGonagall’s, I think.” She said, when everyone looked at her.

**Cornelius Fudge stormed in, McGonagall and Snape on his heels. “Where is Dumbledore?!” He demanded.**

“Who does he think he is?!” Regulus protested. “He wouldn’t storm into St Mungo’s like that!”

**“Minister, this is a hospital wing!” Mrs Weasley protested. “And he’s not here – don’t you think you should …?”**

**“What happened?” Dumbledore interrupted, sweeping in with a swirl of purple robes.**

“He’s there now.” Jen muttered. “For that matter, why’s McGonagall with him – wasn’t she supposed to be watching Junior?”

Alice glanced down. “Apparently, Dumbledore agrees with you, Jen.”

**“Minister, why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I’m surprised at you – I asked you to guard Barty Crouch …”  
“There’s no need to stand guard over him anymore, Headmaster!” McGonagall shrieked. “The Minister has seen to that!”**

“Oh, Merlin, what’s he done?” Addie asked.

“Something obscenely stupid.” Ginny answered.

**Hermione swallowed nervously. She had never seen her Head of House lose control like this. Her hair was coming loose from its normally tight bun, her fists were clenched and she was almost shaking with fury.**

Sirius’s eyes widened. “Shit, that’s not good.”

**“When we told Minister Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight’s events,” Snape explained, “he seemed to feel his own personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a Dementor to accompany him into the castle.”**

“He didn’t!” _Addie_ gasped. “What if one of the students had been …”

“I was!” Ginny reminded her shrilly. “I must have been a corridor away …”

**Mrs Weasley let out a gasp and pulled Ginny into her arms, eliciting a strangled protest. “Mum! I’m fine!”**

**“You’ve been in and out of this wing, Ginny; what if …?” Mrs Weasley could not continue, clinging to her daughter.**

**“I told him you would not agree!” McGonagall insisted, apparently oblivious to the byplay. “I told him you would never allow Dementors to set foot inside the castle, but …”**

“For obvious reasons!” David snapped. “How does such a pig-headed idiot become the head of our government?!” **  
**

**“My dear woman!” Fudge interrupted loudly. “As Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a potentially dangerous …”**

“Potentially dangerous?!” Jen repeated. “He was unconscious!”

**McGonagall’s voice drowned him out, however. “The moment that … that … _thing_ entered the room, it swooped down on Barty Crouch and … and …”**

_Sirius_ shivered violently, his skin turning a grey-ish colour. _Addie_ tugged on his hand to get him to move, but he didn’t budge.

Slipping on to his lap, she leaned in very close to his ear. “Padfoot, love, come back to us. You’re alright now – they aren’t here.”

He took in a shuddering breath, and his arms closed around her as he buried his face in her neck. “Sorry …”

“Don’t apologise.” _Addie_ scolded lightly. “None of this is your fault.” Belatedly, she realised that everyone else had frozen as well and was staring at them. “He’ll be alright.” She said calmly – more calmly than she felt. “Carry on, Alice, please.”

**Hermione shuddered, ice flooding her veins. Padfoot whimpered at her feet, and she whistled softly, patting the chair beside her. He jumped up next to her, half-lying across her lap, and she rested a hand on his head again, feeling him shivering.**

**Luckily, she didn’t need eye contact to simply push words into someone’s head. _It’s alright. You’re alright. They won’t come near you. It’s gone now._**

_Addie_ smiled weakly at the girl, who had moved closer with Harry, both obviously wanting to help but unsure how to.

**Again, she wasn’t entirely sure he could hear her, but he definitely seemed to relax, at least physically.**

Thankfully, _Sirius_ seemed to be doing the same, his tense muscles unclenching as _Addie_ kneaded his shoulders. She wasn’t sure why he had such a strong reaction to the mention of a Dementor now when he hadn’t in the third book.

 _Then again,_ she thought wryly, _I reacted then as well – he was probably distracted._

**“By all accounts, he is no loss!” Fudge blustered, ignoring everyone else in the room. “He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus tell me, he seemed to think he was doing it all on You-Know-Who’s instructions!”**

“He’s not going to believe you.” James said flatly. “He doesn’t … Are you kidding me?!”

“Unfortunately, no.” Hermione sighed.

**“Lord Voldemort _was_ giving him instructions.” Dumbledore confirmed. “Those people's deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body.”**

**Fudge looked as though he’d been hit with something heavy. “You-Know-Who … returned? Preposterous.**

“Wasn’t he the one saying in the last book that he thought Sirius was returning to Voldemort and that he could manage that?” Addie asked through gritted teeth.

“He’s a hypocrite.” Ginny said with a shrug.

**Come now, Dumbledore …"**

**“As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you," Dumbledore said, "we heard Barty Crouch confess. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us how he was smuggled out of Azkaban and how Voldemort – learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins – went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry. The plan worked, I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return.”**

**Hermione was astonished to see a smile beginning to appear on Fudge’s face.**

“A what?” David repeated.

**She’d never had huge faith in the man’s intelligence, but surely even he could see that this was nothing to smile about!**

“Damn right it isn’t!”

“Dad.” James whispered. “Calm down.”

**“See here, Dumbledore, you – you can't seriously believe that You-Know-Who - back? Come now, come now … certainly, Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders - but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore …"**

“And what about Harry?” David demanded. “He saw it happen.”

“You’re assuming I’m not ‘disturbed and dangerous’.” Harry reminded him dryly.

**After five minutes of debate, all that had been established was that Fudge believed every word that Rita had written …**

“She should be arrested for aiding and abetting.”  Regulus said darkly. “Did you turn her in, Hermione?”

“Well, I _could_ have done.” Hermione said sweetly. “But would I be so cruel as to subject someone to Azkaban when I could use that knowledge to my advantage?”

“Blackmail’s illegal.” David said. “But then so is slander of a minor, so go ahead.”

**… and that there was no way Voldemort could have returned.**

**Harry had woken up, and joined in with gusto – Hermione had to hold Padfoot back when Fudge suggested that Harry’s word wasn’t good enough, and Bill had to jump in to keep Mandy and Arabella from cursing the man, when he insisted that Harry was either cracking up or attention-seeking.**

Lily growled, and James grasped her hand, scowling at the book.

**Hermione wanted to join in, to remind Fudge that just last year, he was warning people that Sirius might be looking for Voldemort (so he clearly believed he was alive at some point) …**

“Thank you!” Addie agreed.

**… but she held her tongue, unwilling to draw too much attention to herself – or, more importantly, to the illegal Animagus sitting beside her.**

“Thank you.” Sirius repeated, for different reasons.

**Snape even went as far as to show Fudge his Dark Mark, admitting to being a spy during the last war, but the Minister refused to listen.**

David shook his head. “There are few things more dangerous than a desperate man.”

“Desperate?” James frowned. “Surely stupid is more apt.”

“No, I think Fudge knows Voldemort’s back.” _Sirius_ agreed heavily. “He’s just too scared to admit it or to deal with it. Unfortunately, the rest of the wizarding world believes him.”

“So Voldemort gets a free rise back to power.” Jen said darkly. “He builds up his strength and his army, and then strikes when we least expect it.”

**Finally, Fudge stormed out of the hospital wing, dropping Harry’s Triwizard winnings on his bedside table.**

“I didn’t want them.” Harry muttered. “It was a tie …”

Lily smiled sadly at him. “You invested them, didn’t you? Gave them to the twins.”

Harry nodded.

**Dumbledore sighed heavily, turning to face the remaining occupants, all of whom were standing, or sitting, in stunned silence. “There is work to be done.**

“Need to regroup the Order of the Phoenix.” Lily whispered, looking over at _Sirius_. “Be careful.”

 _Sirius_ laughed bitterly. “There’s not much else I can do, Lily – I’m not allowed to leave the damn house.”

 _Addie_ frowned. _Sirius stuck in Grimmauld Place – that can’t end well._

**Molly, am I right in assuming that I can count on you and Arthur?”**

“Definitely.” Fred and Ginny said together. **  
**

**Mrs Weasley’s eyes were wet with tears, fear encircling her like a black cloud, and Hermione’s heart went out to the woman who had already lost her parents, brothers and sister to this maniac. When she spoke, however, her voice was firm and steady. “You can. We know what Fudge is.”**

“What does she mean by that?” Addie asked.

Alice growled. “It tells you in a second.”

**For a second, Hermione wondered what she meant, but then she remembered what Dumbledore had said to Fudge not minutes ago. _“You are blinded by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius, You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood. You fail to recognise that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.”_**

Lily’s mouth fell open. “But – But … But what about all the Muggle-borns at Hogwarts?”

James released her hand to wrap an arm around her shoulder. “Fudge won’t be in power for long, and if we play our cards right …”

“If we have any cards to play by that point.” Lily retorted. “We’re stuck with Death Eaters, James – what if …?”

“Trying not to think about that over here.” Harry interrupted, shuddering.

**So the Minister of Magic was a blood-snob. That boded well for Muggle-born students.**

**“It’s Arthur’s fondness for Muggles for Muggles that has held him back all these years.” Mrs Weasley continued, proving her right. “Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride.”**

David shook his head. “Ridiculous.” **  
**

**“Then I need to send a message to Arthur.” Dumbledore concluded. “All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well-placed to contact others at the Ministry.”  
“You’ll have at least two other Heads of Department, Headmaster.” Mandy said softly. “Amos won’t take this lying down.**

“He won’t fight.” Addie said.

“No, but he’ll believe.” _Sirius_ pointed out softly. “Better than nothing.”

**He may not actively join the cause, but he will believe us, and that’s better than nothing.”**

**“That’s only one.” Arabella said, looking puzzled. “Who’s the other?”**

“Amelia, maybe?” Mandy guessed. “Didn’t they say she’s the Head of Magical Law Enforcement?”

 _Sirius_ smirked. “Alright, three Heads of Department.”

**Mandy allowed herself a self-satisfied smirk. “Well, there’s been some investigating into Ludo Bagman. You remember that owl I got a month ago?”**

“I’d forgotten about that.” Narcissa murmured.

**Arabella nodded. “I don’t think you ever told me what it said.”**

**“Well, it informed me that Bagman was in a lot of trouble with the goblins – gambling debts – and that he was trying to rig certain games to pay them off.” Mandy explained.**

“So it wasn’t just the twins.” Sirius scowled. “Unbelievable.”

**“They left him in place to finish commentating the Tournament, but as of two hours ago, he is unemployed.”**

“Wait, so who’s the new Head of Department?” Mandy asked.

David chuckled. “Unless things have changed, the current Assistant Head.”

“But I’m the …” Mandy trailed off, and Alice kept reading with a smirk.

**“So …” Arabella prompted.**

**Mandy’s smirk grew slightly. “So you are looking at the new Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.”**

Mandy turned bright red as the other students applauded and Arabella leaned over to give her a hug.

**Arabella gaped at her. “Wow … Congratulations – I was not expecting that.”**

**“Neither was I.” Mandy admitted, before looking back at Dumbledore. “I’ll see what I can do, Albus, but I’m not leaving Harry’s side just yet.”**

“And they didn’t until we went home for the summer.” Harry added.

Lily beamed at both of them.

**“Dad can handle it.” Bill assured her, standing up. “I’ll go and tell him now.”**

**“Excellent. Tell him what happened.” Dumbledore instructed. “Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering in the Ministry …”**

“All hell will break loose.” David muttered.

**“Leave it to me.” Bill slipped his cloak on and kissed Ginny and his mother, before moving over to clap Harry on the shoulder, hug Hermione, and shake Dumbledore’s hand, before leaving the hospital wing.**

**“Minerva, I want to see Hagrid in my office in an hour. Madame Maxime as well, if she wouldn’t mind.”**

“Why would he want to see them?” Sirius asked.

Regulus frowned. “Well, if I was Dumbledore – which I’m not, thank Merlin – and I wanted to combat the possibility of another war, I’d want to start by gathering or forming allies. I should think he wants them to contact the giant colonies and convince them to join us, or at least stay neutral.”

 _Sirius_ nodded in confirmation. His colour had returned to normal now, but his grip on _Addie_ was as tight as ever.

**Professor McGonagall nodded, her lips still very thin, and swept out of the room.**

**“Poppy,” Dumbledore said, “would you be so kind as to go up to Professor Moody’s office, where I think you will find a house-elf called Winky, in considerable distress. Do what you can for her and then take her down to the kitchens – Dobby will look after her for us.”**

“Why not just call Dobby and ask him to collect Winky?” Jen asked. “Madam Pomfrey won’t be able to do anything for her, the poor thing – Winky won’t accept a witch’s help, because she would feel it should be the other way round.”

“He just wanted Madam Pomfrey out of the ward.” Hermione explained.

**Madam Pomfrey looked very confused, but did as she was told, whereupon Professor Dumbledore closed the doors carefully, and made sure Madam Pomfrey was out of earshot, before speaking again.**

**“Now, it is time for two of our number to recognise each other for what they are. Sirius?”**

James winced. “I don’t envy you dealing with Molly, Sirius – why didn’t he explain about Sirius being innocent first?”

“Too easy.” _Sirius_ said, rolling his eyes.

Jen looked worried. “Am I imagining it, or is Snape still in the room?”

“No, he was.” Harry said cheerfully.

**Mandy put a gentle hand on Harry’s shoulder, preventing him from getting up, and she and Arabella rounded his hospital bed to stand in front of Hermione.**

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, ladies. Although I’m sure I could have handled myself.”

“Us defending you would be a better image.” Mandy pointed out.

**“Molly’s pretty handy with a wand if she thinks her children are threatened.” Arabella explained to Hermione in an undertone, under the pretence of scratching Padfoot’s ears. “Go on, Sirius. We’ve got you covered.”**

**Padfoot lifted his head and jumped off the chair, rearing up onto his hind legs and turning into back into a man.**

**Mrs Weasley screamed and jumped to her feet. “Sirius Black!”  
“Mum!” Ron yelled, diving in front of her. “It’s okay!”**

_Addie_ smiled. “Brave boy.”

**“He’s innocent, Mum.” Ginny added, grabbing her arm. “Really, he is!”**

“We were speechless.” Fred said, shaking his head. “Completely speechless.”

**Snape looked furious. “Him?!”  
“He is here by my invitation.” Dumbledore said calmly. “As are you, Severus. I trust you both.**

_Addie_ frowned. “Difference is, Snape used to be a Death Eater, Sirius never was. You can’t compare the situations.”

**It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other.”**

James snorted. “Good luck.”

**Neither man moved, rigidly glaring at each other, and, like in the Shrieking Shack the year before, it was hard to tell which face held more loathing.**

**More than once, Hermione had to tighten her empathy as the stand-off continued.**

_Sirius_ grimaced. “Sorry.”

**Finally, she let out a sigh and lightly nudged the back of Sirius’s leg with her foot.**

**He glanced back, his face softening when she gave him a pleading look, and stepped forward reluctantly, his hand outstretched.**

“Bloody hell.” Jen blurted out. “What look was that?”

Fred and Ginny adopted identically innocent expressions. “Daddy …”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Funny.”

**Snape regarded him for a moment, then shook his hand briefly, letting go as quickly as possible.**

“Thank Merlin.” _Sirius_ muttered, wiping his hand on his robes.

 _Addie_ smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. “Well done for being the bigger person.”

**“Now, Sirius, I want you to go to my office and wait there.” Dumbledore told him. “Miss Granger, I want you to go with him.”**

“He’s not going to induct you into the Order, is he?” David asked, startled.

Hermione shook her head. “No, although this still doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

“I know.” _Sirius_ agreed. “It does seem as though there must be another reason.”

“On another note,” Draco said, “I notice you’re ‘Miss Granger’ again.” **  
**

**“Me, sir?” Hermione asked, startled.**

**“You.” Dumbledore confirmed with a smile. “The password is Drooble’s Best-Blowing Gum.”**

**Hermione was utterly bewildered, but she didn’t query the request. Sirius, however, seemed to have an idea about what Dumbledore was going to ask of him, but  the sidelong glance he threw in her direction told her that he had no idea what her role was in everything.**

“I still don’t know.” _Sirius_ muttered.

**Nevertheless, he nodded, sitting on the edge of Harry’s bed. “Harry, I have a feeling that what Dumbledore wants will take me away from Hogwarts.**

“I felt awful.” _Sirius_ admitted.

“If Mandy and Arabella hadn’t been there …” Harry began.

“I would have stayed.” _Sirius_ said immediately. “Whatever Dumbledore said.”

**Mandy and Arabella will stay with you, but I must do what I can. You understand, don’t you?”**

“I did understand.” Harry said firmly.

**Harry nodded, and Sirius hugged him tightly, pressing a kiss to his messy hair. “Take care of yourself, kiddo.” He stood up, and Mandy moved to embrace him tightly.**

**“Take care of yourself.” She whispered.**

**“Always do, Talon.” Sirius kissed her forehead, whispered something too quiet for Hermione to hear …**

“I told her she’d be okay and that she deserved better.” _Sirius_ filled in.

**… and released her. He clapped Ron on the shoulder, shook Ginny’s hand, offered a still shell-shocked Mrs Weasley a sheepish smile, and transformed back into the large black dog.**

Arabella pouted. “I don’t get a hug?”

“Okay.” Sirius got up and hugged her, picking her up in the process.

“SIRIUS!”

“Sirius, put her down.” Addie said in a bored voice.

Sirius did as he was told. “She said she wanted a hug.”

Arabella caught her breath and smacked his arm. “That’s _not_ what I said.”

“I said goodbye.” _Sirius_ insisted.

**“Hermione?” Ron asked.**

**Hermione shrugged silently, following Padfoot out of the hospital wing, up the first flight of stairs to the third floor.**

**The Dementor had clearly left by now, but the cold chill remained …**

_Sirius_ grimaced. “I was hoping I’d imagined that.”

 _Addie_ smiled sadly, her hand resting on the back of his neck and rubbing gently.

**… and Hermione shivered as they reached the gargoyle. She gave it the password and they stepped on to the moving staircase, to be enveloped almost immediately in comforting warmth.**

**Once they were safely in the empty office, Sirius transformed and collapsed on to one of the sofas with a groan. “We just can’t catch a break, can we?”**

“No.” Harry answered. “That would involve me having good luck for once.”

“You do have good luck.” Hermione protested. “Normally following _very_ bad luck, admittedly, but you do have good luck.”

**Hermione didn’t answer – she knew he didn’t expect one. She paced around the office, examining all of the strange silver instruments on the desk. A few she recognised from books, but most were bizarre and unfamiliar. “What does this one do?” She asked, pointing to a strange spiralled item that looked like a metallic dog had left it.**

_Sirius_ chuckled. “You have such a way with words.”

“I didn’t write this!” Hermione protested.

**“No idea.” Sirius answered, not even bothering to look to see which one she meant. “I think the only person that knows what they all do is Dumbledore, and even then James and I had a bet going. I’m still convinced half of them don’t actually do anything.”**

David chuckled. “Honestly, Sirius, I wouldn’t bet against you.”

**“And I’m fairly sure he’s going to win.” James added, appearing beside Hermione. “Lily stayed with Harry,” he added, “but I want to know what Dumbledore wants.”**

“So do I.” James frowned.

**Hermione looked up as the door to the office opened again and Dumbledore entered. She could tell this would be a more relaxed visit than the last when he offered them a lemon drop.**

Regulus snorted. “It’s hardly the time for lemon drops.”

**“Now,” Dumbledore said, once they had both declined, “unfortunately, Fudge’s attitude, whilst deplorable, is not entirely unexpected.”**

David shook his head. “He should _not_ be the Minister.”

**He turned to Hermione, gesturing for her to take a seat. “Miss Granger, what is discussed in here is of the utmost secrecy. You cannot tell anyone – not even Mr Potter and Mr Weasley – about what you learn, at least for the moment.”**

**Hermione nodded, intrigued. “Of course, Headmaster.”**

**“Good. During the last war, it became apparent to some of us that the Ministry was, perhaps, not doing as much to stop Voldemort as they could be.”**

“Why was that?” Ginny asked curiously. “Didn’t they think it was anything serious?”

David sighed. “Unfortunately, a lot of people felt that since it was ‘just Muggles’ who were being killed …”

Lily hissed under her breath. “And people wonder why Voldemort has so many followers …”

**Dumbledore began. “On the surface, they appeared to be doing all the right things, but there was prejudice and corruption within the system.”**

Draco snorted. “Nothing’s changed.”

**“Still is, judging by those names Harry gave us.” Sirius muttered. “I could have picked half of those out on the battlefield, simply because I duelled them so often.**

“How?” Ginny frowned. “Weren’t they wearing masks?”

 _Sirius_ smiled slightly. “Everyone has a slightly distinctive duelling style.”

**Sorry, Albus; I didn’t mean to interrupt.”**

**“That’s quite alright, Sirius.” Dumbledore said, waving it off. “I founded an organisation called the Order of the Phoenix to combat Voldemort in secret.”**

**“A sort of light resistance.” Sirius filled in. “We all joined almost as soon as we graduated.”**

**Hermione nodded slowly. She had heard rumours of such an organisation, and it certainly explained why Mandy was in Albania when James and Lily were attacked – she had been a junior in the Department of Magical Games and Sports at the time, there was no reason for her to go to Albania. And the way Sirius had worded it made her think it wasn’t for a holiday.**

_Sirius_ smiled. “Smart girl.”

**“What does this have to do with me, sir?”**

**Dumbledore smiled at them. “Sirius, I want you to go and alert Remus, and then lie low at Headquarters. Miss Granger, I want you to go with him.**

“Of course.” Jen said softly. “Headquarters is Grimmauld Place. He doesn’t want Sirius there alone.” She frowned. “But Remus would be with him, wouldn’t he? Why send Hermione before the end of term?”

Hermione shrugged. “Like I said. Still makes no sense.”

**I will have your trunk sent ahead, of course.”**

**Hermione’s mouth fell open, but it was Sirius who spoke. “Headmaster, she’s underage! You can’t really be thinking …”**

**“I do not intend Miss Granger to join the Order of the Phoenix.” Dumbledore assured him. “After all, the Order is reserved solely for wizards and witches who have left school. However, I would like her to be there for the first part of the first meeting, so she can help us explain your innocence.”**

“That does make sense.” David admitted reluctantly. “Dumbledore only has Sirius’s word, I’m sure that wouldn’t be enough for some members. And Remus being an old friend … She actually saw Peter.”

**“Couldn’t you do that, sir?” Sirius asked, concern lacing his voice. “There’s another two weeks of term left.”  
“But our exams have finished.” Hermione said softly. “And I was actually there in the Shack. I saw Peter. Professor Dumbledore didn’t. Next to Harry, I’ve got the best shot of convincing them.”**

David smiled at the girl.

**Dumbledore nodded approvingly. “Very good, Miss Granger. I would also like you to have some company at Headquarters, Sirius. With your permission …”**

_Sirius_ snorted. “Not like he left me much choice.”

**Sirius took the slip of parchment Dumbledore held out, a look of puzzlement on his face. “Why would you need my …?” He froze, staring at the parchment in his hand.**

“Fidelius.” Narcissa frowned. “I assume Dumbledore’s the Secret Keeper?”

 _Sirius_ nodded.

**“Sirius?” Hermione prompted, alarmed by the sudden paling of his face. “Padfoot?”**

**Sirius looked up at Dumbledore, his face unreadable. “I don’t want Hermione anywhere near that place. Not unless you plan on completely fumigating it first.**

“Let’s not ask for miracles, Padfoot.” Fred said lightly.

**And you can’t possibly ask me to go back there!”**

**“Back where?” Hermione asked urgently. Her first irrational thought was Azkaban …**

“Worse.” _Sirius_ muttered darkly.

 _Addie_ squeezed his hand gently.

**… but she dismissed it almost instantly, logic kicking in.**

**“Long story.” Sirius muttered, still staring at Dumbledore.**

**“Sirius, the house has been abandoned since 1984,”**

“So that’s when Mother kicked the bucket.” Jen murmured. “I was wondering.”

**Dumbledore said patiently, “and there is a house-elf, is there not?”**

**Sirius grimaced. “Albus, if that house-elf has done any actual work in the last twelve years, I will be very surprised.”**

“He hasn’t.” _Sirius_ muttered. “Still doesn’t.”

**“And,” Dumbledore continued, as though he hadn’t spoken, “as a former auror, I’m sure you are more than a match for anything that may be in that house.”**

“That’s true.” _Addie_ said with a smile.

“Remus still needed to rescue Ron from a pair of trousers the other day.” Ginny said with a grin. “They tried to strangle him.”

“They fell out of a closet and he got tangled up.” Hermione said, rolling her eyes. “Out of everything in that house that is cursed, clothing is not one of them.”

“Yet.” Fred added.

**Sirius still didn’t look happy, but he nodded reluctantly. “Is it safe?”**

**“As I said, Cornelius’s position in this is not entirely unexpected.” Dumbledore answered. “I have already cast the Fidelius Charm, I am the Secret Keeper. If you would prefer we use somewhere else …”**

**“No.” Sirius cut in. “No, it’s the perfect place.”**

“Unfortunately.” _Sirius_ muttered.

**He turned to Hermione. “As much as I don’t want you to be stuck there …”**

**“Go with him, Hermione.” James urged, looking over Sirius’s shoulder. “I don’t know what Dumbledore’s playing at, but I don’t want him there alone.”**

James was nodding in agreement.

**“I can handle it.” Hermione insisted, holding out her hand for the piece of parchment. “That’s the address, right?”**

**“Right.” Sirius sighed, giving in, and handed it over.**

**Scribbled on the parchment, in Dumbledore’s loopy, narrow handwriting, were the words _The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London._**

Jen and Sirius shuddered.

“Mother would be proud.” Regulus said with a sardonic grin.

**“You will need to keep that safe.” Dumbledore informed her. “Remus will need to see it before he can see the house. If you could ask him to gather the old crowd, Sirius, the first meeting will be on Saturday at 11 o’clock. Good luck.”**

**“We’ll need it.” Sirius muttered, standing from the sofa. “I’ll try and get a meeting room useable by Saturday, Headmaster.”**

“Where do you use?” Regulus asked.

“The kitchen.” _Sirius_ answered. “It was the only room that was big enough and not infested with something.”

**He shook Dumbledore’s hand and turned to Hermione. “Beaky’s hiding in the Forest. Go and say goodbye to Harry and Ron, and I’ll meet you down there.”**

**Hermione nodded and waited for Sirius to transform, before letting them out of the office. They split up on the first floor, Padfoot loping left towards the marble staircase, Hermione running right to the hospital wing.**

**She burst in just as Mandy was about to give Harry another Dreamless Sleep Potion. “Hang on!”**

“Nearly gave me a heart attack.” Harry grumbled good-naturedly.

**Mandy looked up, startled. “Hermione, what on earth …?”**

**“I’m leaving early.” Hermione interrupted breathlessly.  “I’m sure you’ll find out later.” She hugged Harry tightly. “Don’t worry, eat properly, get enough sleep …” she lowered her voice “… do me a favour and tell Mandy and Arabella about your parents.**

“And the rest.” Harry said cheerfully.

“Thanks.” Mandy said softly. “I’m sure that was a load off our minds.”

**I never got a chance to finish explaining.” She kissed his cheek and turned to hug Ron, who was looking uncharacteristically concerned.**

**“Where are you going?” He asked immediately.**

**“You’ll find out soon enough.” Hermione hissed, releasing him. She slipped past the twins to talk to Ginny, lowering her voice even further. “Get her?”**

**“She’s in the jar that you charmed.” Ginny told her in the same tone. “What do I do with her?”**

**“Make sure she’s got things to eat.” Hermione answered, checking her watch. “Don’t put her anywhere she can see or hear anything important. I’ll find some way to meet you at the beginning of the holidays.”**

“She was only in there for two weeks.” Ginny said hastily.

**She hugged Ginny and raised her voice. “Bye, everyone.”**

**Mrs Weasley intercepted her to embrace her. “Do take care, dear. You’re not going home, are you?”**

“No.” _Sirius_ said, at the same time as Hermione said, “Yes.”

“You can’t honestly consider Grimmauld Place home.” _Sirius_ said flatly.

“I do at the moment.” Hermione admitted. “Only because that’s where you are.”

 _Sirius_ looked at Harry who was nodding in agreement, even though he’d never been to Grimmauld Place. “We’ll find somewhere better.” He vowed.

**“I have no intention of going anywhere near my father.” Hermione said truthfully and, if Mrs Weasley noticed that Hermione had technically answered a different question, she didn’t comment on it.**

**After hugging Mandy and Arabella, Hermione left the hospital wing, leaving behind a group of very confused people.**

“Very, very confused.” Fred corrected. “And I can’t help noticing that I never got a hug either.”

Hermione stood up and walked over to him with a smirk on her face.

“Mya, what are you …?” Fred broke off with a pained gasp as she jumped on him and hugged him tightly. “Thank you.” He wheezed.

“You’re welcome.” Hermione said cheerfully, climbing off him and returning to Harry.

“She’s so much like you it’s scary.” _Addie_ muttered, causing _Sirius_ to grin.

**As she reached the first floor, she ran – literally – into Draco Malfoy, who steadied her, looked furtively up and down the corridor, and dragged her into the nearest alcove.**

**“He’s back.”**

“How did you know?” Narcissa asked.

“It was obvious.” Draco said softly. “Dig – Cedric’s death, Crouch’s disappearance … plus, I was watching – I saw them get back. I saw Harry’s reaction.”

**For the first time in almost four years, his usually well-crafted mask was nowhere to be found, and Hermione looked into eyes filled with trepidation.**

**“I know.” She said softly. “Harry told us. They won’t make you take the Mark, will they?”**

Narcissa stiffened. “They’d better not.” She said icily.

“They haven’t yet.” Draco said. “You convinced Father to wait.”

**“I don’t think so.” Draco answered, his hand gripping his left arm almost unconsciously. “Not yet, at least.”**

**“If it come up, tell them that you’re better off without it for now.” Hermione told him. “Tell them it will make people underestimate you or something – you’re a Slytherin, be cunning about it.”**

“You could have come up with a better excuse than that.” Regulus stated.

Hermione grinned slightly. “I was a little flustered.”

**Draco nodded. “And you?”**

**“I have to go.” Hermione admitted. “I’ll talk to people over summer; see if I can come up with something.**

Hermione sighed when Draco looked over at her. “Sorry, still working on it.”

**I’m sorry, I need to go. Be careful.”**

**With an apologetic smile, she took off for the doors, running full-tilt towards the forest. She reached the cover of trees in a matter of seconds – a personal record …**

“I think that might be a _school_ record.” James said.

**… and slowed to a jog, trying to catch her breath.**

**A low whistle caught her attention, and she slipped between a few trees to see Sirius standing with Buckbeak. She met the hippogriff’s large orange eyes and bowed. He bowed back and she patted his neck, still breathing heavily.**

**“Ready?” Sirius asked, casting a glance in the direction of the castle.**

“No.” Hermione murmured.

**“As I’ll ever be.” Hermione pulled a face. “I hate flying.”**

Harry kissed the side of her head with a smile.

**“It is a strange experience, I’ll give you that.” Sirius admitted, patting Buckbeak. “But do you really think I’d let you fall?”**

**Hermione smiled. “Of course not.” Her smile faded quickly. “I’m still afraid of heights though.”**

**Sirius frowned in confusion. “That’s strange. You never had a problem when you were a baby – I used to take you up on my bike. You loved it.”**

“What made you scared of heights?” Lily asked.

Hermione took a deep breath. “I fell down a flight of stairs once. I’d been looking down over the bannister – I think I’d dropped something, and then …”

 _Addie_ scowled. “Hermione, no one could fall down a flight of stairs if they were standing still.”

Harry stiffened. “He pushed you, didn’t he?”

“I don’t know.” Hermione admitted, staring at her knees. “I don’t remember.”

**“I don’t know.” Hermione admitted. “I’ve just never liked heights.”**

**“Relax, Hermione.” Sirius said, helping her on to Buckbeak’s back.**

_Sirius_ groaned. “Why didn’t I realise there was something wrong?”

“You needed to get out of there as soon as possible.” _Addie_ said soothingly.

**“There’s no difference between falling ten thousand feet to the jagged rocks below and falling out of bed.”  
“Really?” Hermione asked as he jumped up behind her.**

**“Really.” Sirius confirmed. He paused, gathering the makeshift reins. “Except for the landing at the end, that is.”**

There were a few snickers, and _Addie_ shook her head. “I see your ability to make people feel better hasn’t improved.”

“I always made you feel better.” _Sirius_ protested.

“You gave me a hug.” _Addie_ reminded him. “You never said anything.” **  
**

**Hermione blanched, leaning back against him. “Right, thanks for that.”**

**“Sorry.” Sirius hesitated. “Would you rather sit behind me?”**

“Felt safer there.” Hermione admitted. **  
**

**“No.” Hermione answered hastily. “No, I feel marginally safer here.”**

**“Alright.” Sirius cast a glance at the rapidly darkening sky. “Off we go.” He nudged Buckbeak’s flank with his heels, and the hippogriff tossed his head, before breaking into a gallop.**

**The wings rose beneath them, Hermione closed her eyes tightly, and they took off, soaring into the night.**

Alice closed the book. “That’s the end of the chapter.”

Jen held out her hand. “Here. I’ll read the next one.”


	31. Chapter Twenty Nine - Grimmauld Place

Jen turned the page and grimaced. “I would get this chapter.”

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

**Grimmauld Place**

“Do you want me to read it?” Remus asked.

Jen shook her head. “No, I can handle it, love. Thanks though.”

**Hermione kept her eyes closed for the entire journey, and Sirius didn’t try to convince her to do anything different. Only when they began to descend did she open them again, at which point she realised something that made her groan out loud.**

“What’s wrong?” Lily asked quickly.

“Nothing was _wrong_ , per se.” Hermione assured her. “There was just a … complication.”

**“What’s wrong, Hermione?” Sirius asked immediately, as Buckbeak landed amongst trees. The impact jolted them slightly and Buckbeak came to a halt in what amounted to a forest. Ahead of them, Hermione could see a small cottage she assumed was Remus’s home.**

Jen groaned. “Oh, that’s going to complicate things.” She remarked, before reading the next line.

**In answer, she pointed up at the night sky. “It’s a full moon.” She said flatly.**

Remus frowned. “You’ll have to wait.”

“Not necessarily.” Sirius disagreed. “We’re both Animagi.”

“It’s not as simple as Hermione just walking in there!” Remus protested. “Moony won’t know her scent!”

“He might.” Jen said cautiously. “He’d have been around her as a baby. Werewolves have good scent-memories. Plus, she’s a cub.”

Remus shook her head. “Only just. And that’s too much of a risk.”

“So, what, we stay in the forest and listen?” Sirius asked. “That’s not an option. And I can’t leave Hermione in the forest on her own.”

David frowned. “What do you mean ‘Moony won’t know her scent’.”

Jen cleared her throat. “Sirius and Hermione are about to have this discussion themselves, if you’ll let me continue.”

**“That’s why he wasn’t at Hogwarts – Mandy and Arabella told us earlier.**

“Of course we did.” Mandy said, shaking her head.

**I can’t believe I forgot.”**

**“I can’t believe _Dumbledore_ forgot.” Sirius grimaced. “And I bet he’s not on the Wolfsbane either – Mandy mentioned that she couldn’t make it.”**

Mandy scowled at the reminder. She prided herself on her Potions skills, that there was a potion she couldn’t make was something of a sticking point.

**“So what do we do?” Hermione asked quietly, sliding from Buckbeak’s back.**

**“Wait.” Sirius said darkly, leaning against a tree. “There’s nothing else we can do, Hermione.”**

“You’ve had a change of heart.” Addie remarked.

Sirius frowned. “I wonder why.”

 _Sirius_ tilted his head towards Hermione. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I’m not a baby anymore.”

“Nevertheless you were still my priority.” _Sirius_ said firmly. “No offence, Moony.”

“I’d be worried if she wasn’t.” Remus said honestly.

**“That’s not true.” Hermione disagreed. “We’re both Animagi.”**

**“Absolutely not.” Sirius stated firmly. “It’s dangerous.”**

“Bit hypocritical, isn’t it?” Regulus asked.

“Not really.” Jen answered, before continuing to read.

**“You did it.” Hermione pointed out calmly.**

**Sirius sighed. “That’s different, Hermione … Even as a werewolf, Moony knew our scents. If I walked in as Padfoot right now, he wouldn’t attack me because he’d recognise my scent as pack, not because I was canine. You, on the other hand, haven’t been around him enough for him to recognise the scent.”**

“I see.” David breathed. “Don’t you recognise their scents as pack as humans then?”

Remus grimaced. “As a human, yes, and I’m sure under control, I would. But without control, the human scent overrides their individual scent. They’d just be food.”

**“But …” Hermione began.**

**“There is a chance – a _chance_ – that he would recognise you as a cub, so not harm you,” Sirius admitted, cutting off her protest, “but it is a chance I am not willing to take.”**

_Sirius_ nodded in agreement.

**A howl floated towards them from the cottage and Hermione shivered, not needing empathy to recognise the pain that echoed through the trees.**

Jen’s voice faltered, and Remus put an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

**“He’s hurting, Sirius, and you know it.” She said quietly. “You won’t be able to just sit here while he goes through that. And you won’t leave me alone out here – we need to both go in.”**

**Sirius sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Alright.” He said finally.**

_Sirius_ grumbled something about logic, and _Addie_ sniggered.

**“But you transform before we get in there and you stay behind me at all times until I signal otherwise, clear?”**

Remus nodded, looking worried. He wasn’t sure it would be enough.

Seeing his face, Jen nudged him gently. “Stop it. Hermione’s clearly alright.”

“I know, but …” Remus swallowed. “The only time I’ve really heard about Moony is in the third book, so …”

Jen nodded, understanding. Remus had no memory of the full moon nights; he only had their word for it that he didn’t attack them.

**Hermione nodded. “Crystal clear.”**

**“Good.” Sirius patted Buckbeak’s neck. “Stay here, Beaky – alright?”**

**The hippogriff gave a squawk and they made their way swiftly to the front door.**

**“Where will he be?” Hermione asked, slightly nervously.**

“Probably in the basement.” Remus said flatly. “That’s where I transform now.”

**“Basement.” Sirius answered. “The door’s not locked, but the werewolf isn’t intelligent enough to open the door, see?”**

**“But you won’t be able to close it again as Padfoot.” Hermione said. “What if he gets past you and up here?”  
“I’ll lock and ward this door when we get inside.” Sirius assured her. “Although, even if he did get out, it wouldn’t be the end of the world – by the time he got anywhere close to human civilisation, it’d be tomorrow lunchtime.**

“I’d rather not take the risk.” Remus frowned.

 _Sirius_ smiled. “I know. I said I’d ward the door, didn’t I?”

“How could you get out of the front door if you couldn’t open the basement door?” David asked.

“The basement door’s made of thick metal.” Remus explained. “When the handle’s pushed down, it’s fairly easy to move, but it opens inwards and it’s too thick for me to break down. The front door’s made of wood.”

**But better safe than sorry.”**

**“Plus, I’m sure he’d prefer to wake up in his home, rather than in the middle of the forest.” Hermione said dryly.**

Remus chuckled. “Thank you, Hermione.”

**She caught his eye, and smiled innocently, before transforming into her lioness form.**

**“Oh, and I want this story tomorrow.” Sirius told her, opening the door.**

**Hermione made a mewing sound in agreement and slipped inside, waiting patiently while he locked the door behind them and warded it.**

Remus relaxed, but only slightly.

**Another howl sounded from beneath them, and Sirius transformed into Padfoot and led her through the house and down a flight of stairs to a thick metal door.**

**Padfoot reared on to his hind legs and batted at the door handle, which gave way, using his weight to push the door open.**

**Moony was on the other side of the room and started forward with a low threatening growl …**

Remus stiffened, and Jen caught his hand, squeezing softly.

“Relax.” _Sirius_ said. “You weren’t expecting us, you just needed time to recognise the scents. I went slowly – I know better than to surprise you.”

Remus closed his eyes. “What did I do?”

“To me? Nothing.” _Sirius_ assured him. “James learned a valuable lesson about sneaking up on a werewolf though. Don’t think that scar ever faded.” He added thoughtfully.

“He was Prongs at the time.” _Addie_ added hastily, smacking _Sirius_ over the head. “Stop scaring them. And it wasn’t that bad.”

**… before stopping and sniffing the air. The growl stopped and he tilted his head, apparently recognising the scent.**

_Sirius_ smirked. “See.”

**Padfoot barked and bounded forward, wrestling him to the ground, and the two rough-housed for a few minutes, while Hermione pushed the door closed – at least, as closed as she could get it.**

**Their greeting over and done with, Moony moved towards her, but Padfoot bounded between them, not quite growling but close.**

Jen shook her head. “If he thought she was a threat, you wouldn’t have had time.”

**Moony gave the canine equivalent of an eye-roll …**

Remus frowned. “Is that even possible?”

“You’ve seen Padfoot.” James reminded him.

“Yeah, but Padfoot has a human mind.” Remus pointed out. “Moony doesn’t at the moment.”

“It’s definitely possible.” Jen said. “You do it all the time.”

**… and Hermione dropped to the floor, making herself as non-threatening as possible, but she needn’t have bothered.**

**Apparently, Sirius’s tentative suggestion that Moony might recognise her as a ‘cub’ was correct, and he was far more interested in playing with Padfoot than investigating any further, so Hermione curled up to watch them until the day’s events finally caught up to her and she drifted off to sleep.**

“Most people would not feel safe enough to do that.” Remus said.

“Most people aren’t empaths.” Hermione reminded him. “I knew I was safe.”

**When Remus woke the next morning, it didn’t feel any different from any other month, until the initial pain of the transformation wore off, and he realised that he wasn’t nearly as battered as he normally was and that he was covered by a blanket.**

Remus sighed. “Tell me you weren’t stupid enough to transform.”

 _Sirius_ rolled his eyes. “Of course not. It was in reach. Besides, you know that the transformation doesn’t cover clothes – I had a feeling you’d want the extra cover if Hermione woke up before you did.”

“Thank you.” Remus said as Hermione went bright red and stared at the ceiling.

**He sat up and groaned as his head instantly protested the movement – the morning after the full moon could be worse than a hangover at times.**

Remus shrugged as everyone looked at him. “Never had a hangover, so I can’t comment.”

“I can.” _Sirius_ grimaced. “I pity you.”

**Getting wearily to his feet, he wrapped the blanket around his body – his house might have been empty, but his mind was running automatically right now.**

**Besides, it was cold down there.**

“It is, that.” Remus muttered.

**He made his way to the high shelf that held the various healing potions Mandy had brewed over the last month …**

Jen and Remus both beamed at Mandy, who turned slightly pink.

**… too high for the werewolf to reach or – indeed – pay attention to. Finding a headache potion, he downed it in two swallows and his head cleared almost instantly, allowing him to think clearly enough to notice the soft snuffles coming from the other side of the room.**

“Oh, that’s where the nickname came from.” Harry smirked.

“That’s not just Padfoot.” _Addie_ smirked. “He does that as a human as well.”

**The scene that met him when he turned around confused him, worried him, and made him smile all at once.**

“I get confused and smiling.” Addie frowned. “But why would it worry you?”

“Probably because Sirius would know better than to drop in without warning.” Remus answered, frowning. “So the only reason he’d be there would be if something bad had happened.”

“So pessimistic, Moony.” Sirius said lightly.

“But, Padfoot, that is why you’re there.” Addie pointed out.

**Padfoot was fast asleep and it was he who was making the snuffling noises, but Remus had no idea what he was doing there.**

**He knew that Sirius had returned to Hogsmeade to keep a closer eye on Harry – and he didn’t blame him one bit, given some of the stories that were surfacing – and he knew that the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament had been last night.**

**Remus would have assumed that everything was fine, and Sirius had done the sensible thing and put as much distance as possible between himself and a magical town.**

“Sirius, sensible?” Arabella asked dryly. “Are those two words even possible in the same sentence?”

“Sirius never does anything sensible.” Addie complied. “There you go.”

Sirius frowned. “You’re both so mean to me.”

Addie sighed and tugged his chin round to face her, before brushing a kiss against his lips. “We’re kidding.”

**Except Sirius knew better than to just drop in on a full moon without giving Remus prior warning – all the Marauders did, after James had turned up at the Shack unexpectedly during the summer before seventh year.**

“And you’re sure he didn’t get hurt?” David asked.

“He didn’t get _badly_ hurt.” _Addie_ said. “I think he told you he got attacked by a stray dog.”

**But if something _had_ happened, Sirius would have stayed with Harry. _Unless,_ a sombre voice said, _it was so bad that Sirius had to come and tell you immediately._**

“Yeah, that about sums it up.” Arabella sighed.

**The other thing that confused him was the presence of another Animagus. A lioness – too big to be a cub, but not quite a fully-fledged adult – was sleeping soundly beside Padfoot, and the smile won out, stretching across his face.**

**Padfoot was curled around her protectively and, as Remus watched, his ear twitched in such a way that he knew that if he so much as took a step towards her, the large black dog would be awake and alert in an instance.**

_Addie_ smiled, resting her head against _Sirius_ ’s shoulder.

**_But who is she?_ **

**Remus battled with that question for a few minutes, before deciding to go upstairs, take a shower and get dressed, before trying to wake them.**

**_Let them sleep just a bit longer. Besides, Sirius is a bugger to wake sometimes – best do it when I’m feeling a little more refreshed._ **

“Smart move.” Remus told himself.

**“I’m telling you, Moony, you’re not going to believe who she is.”**

**“Try me.”**

“No, Sirius is right.” James said certainly. “You’re not going to believe it.” **  
**

**Hermione twitched as voices reached her through what seemed to be a thick fog. She blinked sleepily, wondering for a second about her change in vision, before the events of the night before came flying back to her.**

**Her eyes closed again, and she wished she could just go back to sleep, because when she was asleep, she didn’t have to deal with any of that.**

“I know the feeling.” Harry muttered, playing with a strand of her hair.

**But Hermione was a Gryffindor and she knew she couldn’t allow herself to use sleep as excuse to avoid her problems.**

**Once she had admitted this, even inside her head, there was no way she could go back to sleep, and she groaned – except, of course, she was still a lioness and it came out as a growl instead, alerting the two men talking in quiet voices.**

**Hermione climbed to her feet and stretched, feeling her muscles protest about sleeping on solid stone …**

Jen grimaced. “Do you not have anything more comfortable down there?”

“He used to, now I think about it.” _Sirius_ said, frowning. “Or _you_ used to, I suppose I should say.”

**… before transforming back into her human form. “Good morning …” She yawned, cutting herself off.**

**“Good morning, Hermione.” Sirius greeted, looking amused at the expression of stunned shock on his friend’s face.**

Remus rolled his eyes. “Of course you’d enjoy that.”

**“Hermione …” Remus said after a few minutes. “What are you doing out of school? And when did you do that?” He turned to Sirius. “I thought we agreed that you _couldn’t_ kidnap them.”**

“Oh yeah.” Hermione turned to _Sirius_. “You discussed kidnapping us?”

 _Sirius_ shrugged. “If it got you and Harry out of danger, yes.”

**Sirius rolled his eyes. “I didn’t kidnap her – Dumbledore sent us. And I want to hear the answer to the second question myself.”**

**“Why did Dumbledore send you?” Remus asked slowly.**

**“Because Mandy and Arabella stayed with Harry.” Sirius answered.**

Remus sniggered. “Nice try.”

**“That’s not what I asked, Padfoot, and you know it.”**

**“Maybe I should make breakfast first.” Hermione suggested, forestalling Sirius’s retort. “It’s a long story. Two long stories. I’m guessing from that little debate, you haven’t told him yet.” She added, as Remus led them upstairs.**

**“Told me what?” Remus asked. “And you don’t have to, Hermione …”**

**“No, I want to.” Hermione insisted, checking the fridge.**

**She hesitated, reluctant to be the bearer of bad news, but she could only stall for so long. Pulling out a carton of eggs and a packet of bacon …**

“One should always take bad news with a helping of bacon.” Hermione said gravely.

“Very true.” Harry agreed, in the same tone.

**… she turned to face him, her expression grim. “Voldemort’s back.”**

“Nice.” Sirius said. “Direct approach. Best way to do it.”

**Remus’s face drained of colour and he sat down abruptly – luckily where a chair was as opposed to where it wasn’t. “What?”**

**“Your go, Padfoot.” Hermione told him firmly, setting a saucepan on the hob. “I told Ron and the others; I’m not doing it twice.” She set about making scrambled eggs and bacon, setting a couple of slices of bread in the toaster while she did. For the most part, she let the story wash over her, not too keen on hearing it again, but she caught a few phrases and, when Sirius got to Dumbledore’s intervention in the DADA office, she finally stepped in.**

**“… luckily, Dumbledore got there in time to Stun him …”**

Hermione shook her head. “Oh ye of little faith.”

“Did Dumbledore tell you that?” Regulus asked sharply.

“No.” _Sirius_ admitted. “I was paying more attention to Hermione in the office, and Harry in the hospital wing. I’d just assumed it was Dumbledore.”

**“No.” Hermione interrupted. “I Stunned him.”**

**“What?” Sirius asked, looking startled.**

“I repeat.” Hermione said, grinning. “Ye of little faith.”

**“I Stunned him.” Hermione repeated, dividing the eggs between three plates. “He never considered that I might have another wand …”**

**“Another wand?” Remus interrupted. “Why did you have another wand?”**

Remus sighed. “That’ll be fun.”

**Hermione wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw Sirius flinch. He held up a hand to stop her from replying, and leaned over to whisper something to Remus.**

**Piling bacon on to the plates, Hermione tried not to eavesdrop, but she was confused. _Who the hell did that wand belong to?_**

“My everything.” Remus whispered, too quietly for anyone to hear, except Jen, who shifted closer to him.

**She glanced over her shoulder, resisting the urge to extend her empathy, but their expressions were unreadable.**

**“Are you alright?” Sirius asked in an undertone – she almost didn’t hear him, except her hearing was still sensitive from her transformation.**

**Remus murmured something that sounded like “what she would have wanted” ...**

_Sirius_ nodded in confirmation, and Jen smiled weakly. “Well, he’s right. I’d rather Hermione have my wand than have it gathering dust in a vault somewhere. Especially if that’s the result. Out of interest, is my name ever mentioned?”

“Soon.” Hermione said. “If it’s brought up in the book, it’ll be in this chapter or the next one.”

**… before clearing his throat and looking at her. “Sorry, Hermione – you were saying?”**

**Hermione hesitated, but decided it was best not to ask. “Not much else to it, really. When he moved his wand to curse Harry, I Stunned him. I’m sure I mentioned that in the hospital wing, Padfoot.”**

“You did.” Fred and Ginny confirmed.

**“I wasn’t really listening.” Sirius admitted, his face breaking into a grin. “I was worried about Harry. Atta girl, Kitten!”  
The name struck a chord in her memory, and she dropped the plates on to the table and sat down, before looking at Sirius thoughtfully. “Did you call me that when I was a baby?”**

**“All the time.” Remus answered for him. “He said it was because when you were younger, you made a sound like a kitten when you were hungry. How’d you remember that?”**

Remus made a small noise of understanding in his throat. “Of course, I don’t know yet.”

**“Natural Occlumens.” Hermione answered casually. “You wanted to know about the Animagus transformation.”**

**“Yeah, we did.” Sirius agreed. “I mean, there’s no way you were working on it in third year, which means you managed it faster than we did.”**

**“Well, I didn’t exactly study the transformation.” Hermione admitted.**

“Alright for some.” James muttered.

“Oh, shut up.” Lily said, rolling her eyes. “You’re practically a Transfiguration Master, it’s not like it was hard for you.”

**She smiled at their perplexed expressions and began to explain, starting with the mysterious voice and finishing when she bumped into the twins.**

**When she’d finished, both men were gaping at her, even more bewildered than they had been before. Hermione ignored this, and calmly ate another spoonful of eggs.**

“It was unnerving how calm you were.” _Sirius_ remarked.

**“You met the Hogwarts founders?” Sirius said eventually, sounding more awestruck than disbelieving.**

“They’re far less impressive in person.” Hermione remarked with a shrug.

**“You saw me transform.” Hermione shrugged. “That was when I started picking up what the castle was feeling. Got a blinding headache when the other schools arrived though.”**

**“Makes sense.” Remus agreed thoughtfully. “Wards.” He sighed. “So Cedric Diggory, Bertha Jorkins and Barty Crouch are dead, Crouch Jr is alive but soulless, Mad-Eye Moody was an imposter and Voldemort’s back.”**

Jen sighed. “You have a wonderful way with words.”

“Sorry.” Remus said sheepishly.

**“Yeah, that about sums it up.” Hermione said flatly.**

**“It’s not all bad news.” Sirius insisted. “Tell him about James, Lily, Addie and Leona.”**

**“What about them?” Remus asked wearily.**

“Wonder what I was expecting.” Remus said.

“Probably not what you got.” Regulus responded.

**“They’re not dead.” Hermione answered bluntly. “They’re stuck on an island – I don’t know where. I’m an empath – I can talk to James and Lily, but Addie and Leona don’t have spirits anymore … dammit.” She sighed, cutting herself off. “I hope Harry thinks to tell Mandy and Arabella about those two. I only got as far as James and Lily.”**

“Good job one of us is thinking straight.” Harry said, grinning.

**Sirius patted her hand. “He will.” He looked over at Remus, who was watching the two with a closely guarded expression, as though he wanted desperately to believe them, but was afraid to at the same time.**

“Probably lost one too many people over the years.” Remus murmured.

Jen blinked back a tear or two, wishing she could be there for him.

**“She can answer questions only James or Lily would know the answer to.”**

“No, I couldn’t.” Hermione disagreed. “They were at Hogwarts.”

**Hermione cleared her throat sheepishly. “Actually, they’re not here at the moment, so I can’t, but …” she cast her mind back. “I believe Lily mentioned something about hexing Snape into the ground under a beech tree in fifth year. No, wait – James corrected her – into the _air_ in fifth year. And he said – er – ‘Snivellus’ had it coming.”**

“That’ll convince me.” Remus confirmed.

**Remus shook his head slowly, his face breaking into a grin. “Hermione, I could kiss you. But I won’t.”  
“Yes, I’d prefer it if you didn’t.” Hermione said in a measured tone.**

“You’d be one of the few girls that did.” Ginny said cheerfully.

“Really?” Jen asked, grinning at Remus’s blush.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Well, he was one of the two male teachers who were at least close to our age, and the other was Snape, so yes, he was rather popular among the female student population.”

**“Now I don’t want to bring the mood down again, but don’t we need to go to Headquarters?”**

Sirius sighed, his mirth vanishing. “Thanks.”

**Sirius pulled a face. “Yeah, we do.”  
“You still haven’t told me where Headquarters is, Padfoot.” Remus said casually.**

“Which means you’ve probably already guessed.” James accused lightly.

**“What’s wrong with it?”**

**“I grew up there.” Sirius answered darkly.**

**Hermione was startled – she had guessed he had a connection with the house and a bad one at that, but it hadn’t occurred to her that it might be something like that. “Dumbledore said it’s been abandoned since 1984?”**

**“That would be when Mother died, I guess.” Sirius said, his mouth twisting into a humourless smile. “The house-elf went round the twist years ago …**

“He never …” Sirius began, but Jen read over him.

**… and he never listened to me anyway.”**

Sirius sat back, arms folded. “Exactly.”

**“I thought house-elves were bound to serve their masters.” Hermione frowned. “Otherwise, their magic starts fading. That’s what the Hogwarts house-elves say anyway.”**

**“Oh, he’ll obey.” Sirius said darkly. “But I’ll need to cover every loophole. He absolutely adored my mother – so naturally he hated me. We’ll need to use caution in there, because it’s probably infested by now, given Dumbledore’s little remark about me ‘being able to handle it’.”**

**“At least we’ve got magic.” Hermione remarked.**

“You don’t.” Fred pointed out. “You’re underage.”

**Sirius raised an eyebrow. “We? You’re underage.”**

**“But the Fidelius Charm bypasses the underage law.”**

“What?!” Ginny demanded. “And Ron and I have been cleaning by hand?!”

“So have I!” Hermione reminded her. “Do you really think your Mum would let us break a rule like that, even if we could get away with it?”

“But it’s Sirius’s house.” Fred pointed out.

 _Sirius_ snorted. “As far as Molly’s concerned, that’s a technicality, Fred, and you know it.”

**Hermione reminded him. “And the Ministry can only pick up magical signatures, not who’s performing it – that’s how you managed to use magic at my house last summer. They knew there were three magical beings in that house, and two of them were adults. They had no reason to assume it was me.”**

**“Hermione, whilst your argument is well thought out and logical,” Remus told her, “we still can’t let you use magic.”**

**“Absolutely not.” Sirius agreed.**

**Hermione’s face fell and her lower lip trembled. “Not even a little bit? To be helpful?”**

_Addie_ chuckled. She had a feeling that would work, unless Remus stepped in.

**Remus closed his eyes. “Don’t look her in the eye, Sirius. Look away!”**

“You as well?” Jen asked in amusement.

“I refuse to answer for my future self.” Remus said.

**“Padfoot?” Hermione asked, inwardly marvelling at how effective the ‘puppy-dog pout’ (as Ginny had referred to it) actually was. “You’ll let me, won’t you?”**

**Sirius’s expression softened as he looked at her. “Well … I suppose we can trust you not to take advantage of us …”**

“She’s got you wrapped around her little finger, mate.” James said with a grin.

“They both do.” _Sirius_ grumbled, nodding at _Addie_ ’s head. “I just have to deal with it.”

“Yes, you do.” _Addie_ agreed with a smirk. “Out of interest, Harry doesn’t?”

“Harry would never be so mean as to use it against me.” _Sirius_ said confidently.

“Don’t count on it, Padfoot.” Harry smirked.

**Remus turned to him incredulously. “For Merlin’s sake, Sirius, what you think she’s doing right now?!”**

**Sirius blinked, shook his head, and gave Hermione a mock-stern look. “Nice try.”**

“Yes, it was.” _Addie_ agreed, smiling at Hermione.

**Hermione sighed, dropping the pout. “Worth a shot.”**

**The two men exchanged an amused glance. “Marauder.” Remus stated.**

**Sirius nodded in agreement, grinning. “I’m so proud.”**

**Hermione chuckled, ignoring the warm feeling the filled her. “Look, I’ll only use it when it’s just us and I’ll only use it to help clean up. I won’t use it in front of Ron or Ginny, assuming the Weasleys visit – I won’t even use it in front of the twins, even though they’re of age now. Please?”**

“They’re going to let you.” Ginny grumbled.

“I can’t now.” Hermione repeated. “Not with your mum around.”

**Again, the two men exchanged a glance and, after a few minutes, Sirius flashed a hand signal across the table. Remus replied in kind, and Hermione sat back, rolling her eyes – she was hardly fluent in ‘Marauder sign language’ and, even if she was, the actions were far too fast for her to catch.**

“You need a translator.” Lily said.

Hermione smirked. “Got it covered.”

**“Where’s Prongs when you need him?” Hermione muttered under her breath.**

**“You called, fair maiden?” James asked, materialising with a flamboyant bow. “Literally.” He added, at her questioning look. “Heard you all the way in Scotland.”**

“Wonder how that works.” _Addie_ said with a frown.

Hermione shrugged. “No idea. I think it’s just a side effect of the empathy.”

**Hermione smirked and nodded towards Remus and Sirius.**

James grinned. “You’re welcome.”

**James turned to face them and watched the interaction for a few minutes, smiling fondly. “The bottom line, Hermione, is that they both think that you _should_ be allowed to use magic, but Remus is worried that Dumbledore might not approve.”**

Jen snorted. “What’s it got to do with him?”

**Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Who says Dumbledore needs to find out?” She couldn’t help smirking when they both froze, looking utterly dumbfounded. “What?”**

**Realisation suddenly dawned on Sirius’s face. “Where?”**

“You knew I was there.” James smirked.

“I knew one of you was.” _Sirius_ confirmed, grinning.

**Hermione jerked a thumb towards James, still smirking, and glanced at Remus. “Got myself a translator.”**

**Remus looked at the spot she’d indicated and back at Hermione a few times, as though worrying for her sanity.**

“I probably was!” Remus agreed.

**“Hermione, there’s nobody there.”**

**“I’m nobody now?” James asked with a pout, before Hermione could answer. “Moonykins, I’m hurt!”**

“Oh for the love of …” Remus groaned. “James, why?!”

“Hey, that’s a new one.” James insisted, sniggering. “I like it though.”

**Hermione stifled a laugh. “Er, I don’t think Remus would appreciate that nickname, James.”**

“No, I do not.” Remus muttered. **  
**

**“Oh, he doesn’t.” James confirmed cheerfully. “That’s why I use it.”**

**“You’re impossible.” Hermione informed him.**

**“Sticks and stones, love.” James retorted with a wink, vanishing into thin air.**

“Dad,” Harry sighed, grinning.

“Do try to refrain from flirting with your son’s girlfriend.” Lily said, on the very of sniggering. “There’s a good chap.”

“What?” James asked innocently. “I won’t mean anything by it. Besides, future-me is stuck with you – who is my wife, Addie – Sirius would kill me, and Leona – who would read way too much into it.”

**Hermione shook her head, finally allowing herself a smile. “Gentlemen, James Potter has left the building.”**

**“Well, that was surreal.” Remus said faintly.**

“You think it was surreal to you, try being at the centre of it.” Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

**Hermione shrugged. “You get used to it. So can I use magic or not?” She considered telling them about Dumbledore casting the Fidelius Charm for the Potters, but thought better of it.**

Jen hastily read the next line before anyone could argue.

**True, they both needed to know, but they also needed to work with Dumbledore to combat Voldemort.**

“Dammit, she’s right.” Addie sighed.

**Besides, right now, she had no answers for them.**

“I don’t think anyone’s going to get answers unless they pour Veritaserum down Dumbledore’s throat and demand them.” Jen said darkly as she turned the page.

**She needed more information before she acted on it – a lot more.**

**Remus sighed. “Okay, you can use magic. But only when we’re in the house and not in front of anyone else. Are we clear?”**

**Hermione nodded seriously. “Crystal. Are we flying?”  
“We will be.” Sirius answered.**

“Hang on.” Addie interrupted. “What are you going to do with Buckbeak when you get there?”

Jen smirked. “As luck would have it, Shadow, Remus is about find out for us.”

**“Moony?”**

**“What are you going to do about Buckbeak?” Remus asked, temporarily ignoring the question. “If memory serves me correctly, your family home is in the middle of London.”**

**“On the outskirts.” Sirius corrected. “But you’re right – I forgot about that … I’ll Disillusion us and him, and then Shrink him until we get inside.”**

“Oh.” Addie settled back against the sofa. “That’s alright then.”

**“Good plan.” Remus approved. “I’ll take a broom. It’ll be easier for me to follow you.”**

**“How are you going to follow us if we’re Disillusioned?” Hermione asked blankly.**

Remus frowned. “Good question.”

**“Well, it is possible to keep an eye on Disillusioned people and creatures, as long as you know they’re there.” Remus explained.**

**Sirius barked out a laugh. “What Remus is being too modest to say is that he always had a certain talent for seeing through Disillusionment Charms.”**

“You’d be a good auror as well.” David remarked.

“The Ministry wouldn’t hire me.” Remus said with a sigh. “I’d have to arrest myself.”

**Remus turned slightly red. “Just get on with it, Padfoot.”**

**“Right.” Sirius waved his wand and sent the dishes over to the sink. “Come here, Hermione.”**

**Hermione stood up and approached him, standing perfectly still while he rapped her on the head with his wand. Something cold trickled over her, as though a stream of rainwater had fallen on her head.**

“Good description.” David said with a nod. “That is exactly what it feels like.”

**“Nice one, Padfoot.” Remus commented.**

**Hermione looked down and smiled – she’d read about the spell, but she’d never actually seen it performed. “Very interesting.” It looked as though she had turned into a human chameleon.**

“Cool.” Harry remarked.

**Remus flicked his wand towards the sink and the dishes began to wash themselves. “Right. No point in dragging this out.”**

**Sirius took a deep breath and let it out shakily. “Alright, back to hell.”**

_Addie_ tightened her grip on _Sirius_ ’s hand.

**An hour later, they were standing in a patch of grass, in the middle of the most derelict square Hermione had ever seen.**

Sirius barked out a laugh. “I would pay you good money to say that to our mother.”

“You’ll do no such thing!” Addie snapped, before _Sirius_ could. “I want her alive, thank you very much.”

**The houses were all tall, stately townhouses, and once must have looked quite handsome.**

**But time had taken its toll, and most lay abandoned, some with broken windows and paint peeling from the doors.**

**One or two had cars parked outside, but even these were old models that looked like they had no business being on the road at all.**

Harry pulled a face. “Nice place.”

**All in all, it was a thoroughly unpleasant place and Hermione found herself thinking that it was no surprise that Sirius’s parents had hated Muggles, because their family home was hardly surrounded by the most reassuring example of Muggle life.**

Jen laughed quietly. “You may be on to something there, Hermione.”

**Quite the opposite, in fact.**

**“Have you shrunk Buckbeak?” Hermione asked quietly, still unable to really see either of them.**

**“Yeah, he’s in my pocket.” Sirius answered from beside her.**

“Bet he likes that.” Sirius frowned. “I’d better get out of the way sharpish when I enlarge him again.”

“I gave him some chicken at the same time.” _Sirius_ said. “He fussed a bit, but he didn’t hurt me.”

**“He’s not happy about it. Have you still got the note Dumbledore gave you?”**

**“Yeah, it’s right here.” Hermione fished it out of her pocket and held it towards the light of Sirius’s wand so Remus could read it. As she did, she glanced at the houses in front of them, seeing number eleven and number thirteen, but no gap in between for number twelve.**

**Hermione frowned – she knew about the Fidelius Charm, but surely there should at least be an empty space.**

“Normally there would be.” _Sirius_ confirmed. “That enchantment was already there.”

**“Where’s …?”  
“Don’t say it.” Sirius’s voice told her, taking the parchment from her hand. “Just think about what you read.”**

**Hermione did so, and just as she reached the part about Grimmauld Place, another house appeared, pushing numbers eleven and thirteen apart as it seemed to inflate between them.**

“Again,” Regulus said, “good description.”

**Neither house’s inhabitants seemed to notice, and Hermione once again marvelled at the things magic could do as the three crossed the square and made their way up the steps to the front door.**

**“Home sweet home.” Sirius muttered, tapping the door handle – which was shaped like a serpent – with his wand.**

**The door swung open and the three stepped into the dark hallway, huddling close to the door as it closed, plunging them into darkness.**

**Sirius waved his wand and old-fashioned gas lamps flickered to life along the walls, casting light over the long hallway. It had the appearance of a once grand manor house, but, abandoned for twelve long years, the carpet was faded and threadbare, the wallpaper was feeling, and the dusty chandelier above them was strewn with spider webs.**

Jen’s voice trembled as she read, and Remus pulled her on to his lap, pressing a kiss to her neck as he did.

“Sounds like you were right about Kreacher.” Regulus said, frowning.

**As Sirius and Remus removed the Disillusionment Charms, movement caught Hermione’s eye from the portrait frames, but they were all so dusty and blackened by age that it was impossible to tell who they were.**

“I’m surprised.” Regulus said frankly. “If he was going to clean nothing else, you’d think he’d take care of the portraits.”

“He took care of one of them.” Ginny said. “Just one we wish he hadn’t.”

**“Right.” Sirius said, looking around in distaste. “The first thing we need to do is find the house-elf. Then …”**

Jen glanced at the next line and groaned, knowing that this was the infamous portrait of her mother that those from the future had mentioned. In the next second, a smirk touched her face, warning Remus just before … **  
**

**“WHO DARES BESMIRCH THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS?!”**

Sirius yelped and fell off the sofa with a crash. Addie doubled over, laughing. “You should see … the look … on your … face!” She gasped.

Sirius picked himself up. “Jen, that was uncanny – don’t ever do that again!”

“Just trying to lighten the mood.” Jen said unrepentantly.

**The shriek made Hermione jump backwards with a yelp. Sirius steadied her, moving forward with his wand raised.**

**The largest portrait on the wall – so large it could be a window – had awoken, and it was the only one not covered in grime.**

**On the contrary, it looked very well cared for, but that did nothing to improve the appearance of the woman in the frame.**

**She was quite old and looked half-mad, her eyes rolling, drool dribbling down her chin.**

Regulus grimaced. “They couldn’t have painted as she was when she was younger. Then it would at least _look_ nice.”

**“Oh, hello Mother.” Sirius greeted flatly.**

“ _That’s_ your _mother_?” Harry asked, disbelievingly.

“Yeah, I know.” _Sirius_ sighed.

**‘Mother?’ Hermione mouthed at Remus, who merely grimaced.**

**“Oh, it’s you.” The old woman said darkly. “Just what do you think you’re doing, coming back here?!”**

“Charming.” Sirius muttered.

“Aimed at me, that was positively civil.” _Sirius_ admitted. “That’ll change soon, though.”

“She knew I was innocent then?” Sirius asked.

“Of course.” _Sirius_ scowled. “Knew I ‘didn’t have the guts to do the right thing’. Bet she had a right laugh after I was arrested.”

**“Oh, nothing much.” Sirius answered casually. “Voldemort’s somehow risen again, and we thought we’d use this as the headquarters of the light resistance.”**

Regulus snickered. “She’s not going to like that.” **  
**

**“I was looking for a proper answer, boy!” She snapped.**

**Sirius smirked. “That was the proper answer, Mother.”**

**The old woman glared at him and took what would have been a deep breath.**

“Duck and cover.” James warned, diving behind his own chair.

**Hermione clapped her hands over her ears just in time, but it hardly made a difference.**

**“BLOOD TRAITOR, SHAME OF MY FLESH, HOW DARE YOU BEFOUL THIS HOUSE …”**

“Jen!” Remus protested. “Some of us have delicate hearing, you know!”

Jen smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, hun.”

**The other portraits awoke now as well …**

“Great.” Sirius muttered.

**… and the hallway was filled with screams so loud that Hermione was surprised the Muggle houses either side couldn’t hear them.**

**“Hermione!” Remus shouted over the noise. “You know the Silencing Charm?”**

“Of course.” Harry said with a grin.

**Hermione nodded, and began Silencing the other portraits up and down the hall, while Remus and Sirius tried to silence Mrs Black.**

**Finally, Sirius conjured a heavy curtain over her, and she fell silent.**

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. “At least we _can_ shut her up.”

**“In here.” He whispered, ushering them into room off the hallway.**

**Instantly, Hermione pulled a face. Three of the walls, including one with a fireplace, were painted a horrible olive green colour …**

Jen grimaced mid-sentence. “Drawing room.” She concluded. “And you’re right, Hermione – it is a disgusting colour.”

**… but the fourth bore a tapestry – floor to ceiling – that seemed to depict …**

“The family tree.” Sirius, Jen, Regulus and Narcissa finished, the first two in disgust, the latter two slightly more reverently.

**“Is this your family tree?” Hermione asked interestedly, wandering over to look at it. It was quite faded, but the golden thread still glistened, as did the large words at the top: _The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black Toujours Pur_.**

“Always pure.” _Sirius_ translated, when Lily looked puzzled. “About sums it up.”

**“Yeah.” Sirius glanced at the hallway. “I think we’ll need to warn people to keep their voices down in the hallway.”**

**“Can’t you take her down?” Hermione asked.**

**“Tried just now.” Sirius sighed. “She’s gone and used a Permanent Sticking Charm.”**

Jen lowered the book, glaring at her brother. “That’s _your_ fault!”

“How exactly is it Sirius’s fault?” Lily asked.

“When we were younger, Sirius and I tried to protect Jen as much as we could from our parents.” Regulus explained. “Sirius’s methods were to draw their anger on to him instead. He charmed his room red-and-gold, and then stuck up a load of … interesting material with a Permanent Sticking Charm.”

Jen glanced down and laughed. “Renders the next part somewhat superfluous.”

**“Came back to bite you, didn’t it Padfoot?” Remus asked lightly. “Sirius liked to … bait his parents when he was a kid.” He explained to Hermione. “He stuck all sorts of things up in his room with a Permanent Sticking Charm.”**

**“I thought you were disowned after first year.” Hermione said in surprise. “When did you do that?”**

**“I taught myself before Hogwarts and nicked Regulus’s wand.” Sirius sniggered.**

“That’s where my wand went.” Regulus realised under his breath. “I should have known.”

**“Mother was not happy.”**

**“If you were telling the truth about what you stuck up, I’m not surprised.” Remus muttered.**

“Probably was.” Regulus said. “Mother nearly had a coronary. Nice work with the charms, by the way – she and Father couldn’t reverse them.”

Sirius smirked proudly, until Addie asked, “What did you stick up?”

“Nothing important.” He said hastily. “Carry on, Jen.”

**“What were you saying before your charming mother interrupted?”**

**“Right, need to find the house-elf.” Sirius repeated. “Then we need to find a room that’s relatively safe to hold the meeting in.”**

**“What’s wrong with this one?” Hermione asked.**

“I dread to think.” Jen muttered.

**“Well,” Sirius sniffed, “you smell that?”**

**Hermione mimicked his actions and shrugged. “It’s a bit musky.”**

**“Doxy droppings.” Remus corrected.**

“You can tell there’s a Doxy infestation by the smell?” David asked, impressed.

 _Sirius_ shrugged. “Mum loves her magical creatures. Remus is a walking encyclopaedia on them.”

**“What do you reckon, Sirius? Curtains?”**

**“Probably.” Sirius agreed, glancing at them. “As long as we don’t touch them, we should be fine, but the more people in here, the more likely they are to come out. And doxy bites are poisonous.”**

**Hermione grimaced, edging away from the curtains. “Lovely.”**

“Not _too_ poisonous.” _Sirius_ assured her.

**“Kreacher!” Sirius called.**

**Nothing happened.**

“ _How_ does he find a loophole in that?” Regulus asked incredulously.

“Easy.” _Sirius_ said. “He doesn’t hear me.”

**“Bloody elf.” He muttered.**

**“Sirius!” Hermione chided absently.**

Hermione grimaced. “Sorry. Force of habit.”

**“Still working on spew?” Sirius asked knowingly.**

**“S.P.E.W.” Hermione corrected tiredly. “And yes. I thought you agreed with me.”  
“I do.” Sirius assured her. “But my feelings towards Kreacher have nothing to do with the fact that he’s a house-elf, nor does the way I act towards him. It has everything to do with him being a foul little git who hung on to my mother’s every word.”**

_Sirius_ nodded in agreement.

**“Shouldn’t he appear when you call him?” Remus asked.**

**“He should. Unless he’s crawled off and died somewhere.” Sirius said, looking vaguely hopeful.**

“Sirius.” Regulus chided. “I know you can’t stand him, and I understand that, but …”

“I know.” _Sirius_ sighed. “It’s not easy.”

**“But then he hasn’t considered me his master since I was twelve, if he ever did before. Not since Mother blasted me off.”**

**“Blasted him off?” Hermione repeated in bewilderment as Sirius left the room.**

**“The tapestry.” Remus explained, gesturing to it.**

**Hermione took a closer look, and realised that there were several burn-marks across it.**

“They literally blasted you off.” David realised, shaking his head. “Unbelievable.”

**“What, so someone did something they didn’t like and his mother burnt their names off?”**

**Remus nodded. “More or less. I couldn’t tell you who they all are, or what they did.”**

“I could.” Sirius said cheerfully. “They’re my heroes, each and every one of them.”

**“Where should he be?” Hermione asked.**

**Remus scanned it for a second, then pointed near the bottom. A double line of gold connected the names _Orion_ and _Walburga_ , and a single gold line from their names split into three – the first to the name _Regulus_ (which Hermione vaguely remembered Sirius saying was his brother’s name), the other two to round burn marks, almost like cigarette burns.**

Jen paused and looked up. “That’s how? That’s how you found out?”

Hermione nodded sadly. “I’m sorry.”

Jen shook her head. “Don’t be.”

**It was the right-hand burn that Remus was pointing to, but Hermione couldn’t help the way her gaze slid back to the middle burn mark. “Remus,” she said quietly, “who’s that?”**

**Remus didn’t answer for a few seconds, and when he did his voice was shaking slightly. “Jennifer Black. Sirius’s twin sister.”**

Jen swallowed. “That’s the end of the chapter.”

“I was going to offer to read next.” Remus said, staring at the book. “But I’m not sure I want to.”

“I’ll do it.” Neville offered. “I got here last.”


	32. Chapter Thirty - And So It Begins

Jen passed the book to Neville with a grateful smile, and turned into Remus’s embrace, burying her face in his shoulder.

Neville turned to the next chapter and cleared his throat.

**Chapter Thirty**

**And So It Begins**

“Sounds like this might be the last chapter of the book.” Addie remarked.

Her future counterpart flinched violently, and _Sirius_ tightened his grip.

**Hermione stared at the burn-mark for a few seconds, just giving herself time to make sure Remus had said what she thought he did. “Sister?”**

**Remus nodded and, without warning, her head exploded with pain and grief, surprising her with its intensity.**

Remus winced as Jen whimpered into his collar. “Sorry, Hermione.”

Hermione waved him off. “It’s not your fault. I just wasn’t expecting it. I’m just sorry for what’s about to happen.”

**She cried out, vaguely feeling him grab her arm to keep her from falling, but – like after the Second Task – her empathy refused to be controlled.**

“Oh Merlin …” Addie whispered. “You’re going to remember, aren’t you?”

**Again, she retreated into her mind, snatches of memory flying past her, but it was Lily and Remus’s voices that stood out, and she realised she had reached further back than she ever had before.**

“Yes.” Sirius answered grimly.

**_“What do you mean, she’s not there? She left over two hours ago, Lily – she has to be there.”_ **

**_“I haven’t heard from her. Maybe she took a detour to Diagon Alley or to the Ministry or …”_ **

**Loud banging – on a door Hermione assumed, and she heard footsteps, before Lily’s voice, yet again. _“Who is it?”_**

**_“It’s me, Lils – James. And Sirius.”_ **

**_“Is Prongs coming too?”_ **

“Code question.” _Sirius_ explained with a weak smile. “We had several.”

**_“Don’t be ridiculous; my antlers wouldn’t fit through the door.”_ **

“And that was the right answer.” _Sirius_ concluded.

**This bizarre exchange was clearly some sort of code, because she heard a door open and her own voice.**

**_“Daddy!”_ **

**_“Hey, Kitten. Have you been a good girl for Aunt Lily?”_ **

**His voice was strained and shaking slightly, although she was sure that, as a baby, she hadn’t noticed.**

“We’d found her, hadn’t we?” Sirius asked softly.

Addie entwined her fingers with his, resting her head on his shoulder, for her own comfort as much as for his.

**_“James, Sirius, what’s wrong?”_ **

**Hermione heard a few quiet taps and then the sound of a fireplace roaring into life – maybe James had temporarily changed the wards to allow Remus to floo through.**

“He had.” _Sirius_ said hoarsely. “You could usually only communicate.”

**_“Remus …”_ **

**That was Sirius.**

**_“Remus, when did Jen get a new wand?”_ **

**_“She didn’t. She’s still using her old one.”_ **

**_“No, you didn’t hear me. When did she get a new wand?”_ **

Lily let out a choked sob, clinging to James.

“It was my only hope.” _Sirius_ whispered. “That she’d got a new wand and someone had got hold of the old one.” ** _  
_**

**_“Sirius, you’re making no sense. Jen doesn’t have a new wand. She has the same one she’s had since first year – willow and dragon heartstring, nine and three-quarter inches.”_ **

**_“James … Honey, what is it?”_ **

**_“The Dark Mark’s been sent up, just inside the apparition wards.”_ **

**_“I know, we saw it out the window … James, you’re scaring me.”_ **

**_“We found her wand underneath it, Lil. There was no sign of her …”_ **

Regulus stood up and crossed the room to sit beside Remus and Jen, stroking his sister’s hair. He didn’t try to remove her from Remus’s arms, knowing better than to push her so quickly, but she freed a hand and grasped his tightly.

**“Hermione!”**

**Remus’s voice cut through the memory and her eyes flew open, almost gasping for air. She was sitting down now, on the moth-eaten sofa …**

“I think my legs gave out.” Hermione said.

**… and Remus was kneeling in front of her, looking worried.**

**“Should I call Sirius?”**

“You should have done.” _Sirius_ told her.

“I was fine.” Hermione insisted. “It was just my empathy.”

**“No.” Hermione whispered, taking a deep breath. “No, I’m fine. My empathy was playing up …” She ran a hand through her hair, her gaze being drawn back to the tapestry. “I’m sorry.”**

**“It’s hardly your fault, Hermione.” Remus told her kindly.**

“I don’t think that’s what she’s apologising for.” Harry said, listening intently. Hermione had given him the gist when he’d first arrived, but not in this detail.

**“It’s difficult to control that kind of …”**

**“No.” Hermione interrupted. “I’m sorry about Jennifer.”**

**“That wasn’t your fault either.” Remus said quietly. “But thank you.”  
Hermione stood up slowly, taking a second to reassure herself that her legs would still hold her, and returned to the tapestry. “It’s her wand, isn’t it?”**

**“It was.” Remus corrected quietly. “Its allegiance has probably changed.”**

“Definitely not.” Hermione said.

**Hermione shook her head. “Not to me. It’s resisting me still – I can feel it. What …?” She hesitated. “What actually happened to her? I know you found it under … under the Dark Mark.”  
“How did you know that?” Remus asked curiously.**

**Hermione traced one of the singular golden threads with her finger, linking a burn mark with the names _Narcissa_ and _Bellatrix_. “I’m a natural Occlumens, remember. When I can’t control my empathy, I go into my memories. I remembered.”**

**“Ah.” Remus sighed heavily. “I honestly don’t know, Hermione. We never found her. It seemed … It seemed incredible that we didn’t …**

“Why?” David asked. “Unfortunately, disappearances aren’t unusual.”

“Voldemort wanted Jen dead.” _Sirius_ said flatly. “If he’d killed her, he would have paraded her body through Diagon Alley.”

“But he definitely had nothing to do with it?” Regulus asked, his voice trembling with barely-concealed rage.

 _Addie_ nodded. “You said he was furious. He did _not_ order it.”

**She was an auror – the best to pass through the Ministry … A lot of people felt that without her, we had no chance.”**

**“She must have been an amazing witch.” Hermione commented.**

**“She was.” Remus agreed, smiling sadly. “Powerful, smart, and stunning to boot.**

Jen turned slightly red. “Are you trying to embarrass me?”

“You can’t get mad at me for telling the truth.” Remus said smugly.

**She was older than Sirius …**

“By two minutes!” Sirius protested.

Neville chuckled.

**… by two minutes, and never let him forget it.”**

**“And you love her.” Hermione finished softly, not bothering to use past tense. “Who was that?” She asked, pointing at the second burn mark.**

**Remus didn’t seem to mind that the subject change was clumsy at best.**

“Probably welcomed it.” Remus muttered, kissing Jen’s forehead.

**“Andromeda. She was their favourite cousin, you know – not that there was much competition.**

“Thank you.” Narcissa said dryly.

“Sorry.” Remus said, a little pink. “I doubt I was ever expecting you to hear me.”

**Narcissa wasn’t _too_ bad if you caught her on a good day …**

“A day when you’re not keeping up appearances.” Jen put in.

**… she and Lily were actually pretty good friends towards the end …**

_Sirius_ shook his head. “I still can’t believe that. Are you sure?” He asked Draco.

Draco nodded. “I’m sure that’s what Mum said. Besides, didn’t the book just confirm it as well?”

**… but Bellatrix was …” He caught himself. “Well, not a very pleasant witch, to put it lightly.”**

**Hermione was about to ask why Andromeda was ‘blasted off’, when a thud from above them made them both jump.**

**“I think he’s found Kreacher.” Remus commented dryly.**

“And before you ask,” _Sirius_ said, “I didn’t hurt the little bugger, a trunk nearly fell on my head.”

**Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was silent.**

**This wasn’t surprising – it was, after all, three o’clock on a Saturday morning …**

“Uh oh.” Hermione whispered. “I know what this is.”

**… and the house was almost empty. Of ten bedrooms, only three were occupied; the rest lay undisturbed.**

**Hermione was wide awake, trying to catch her breath. Her empathy had alerted her to a nightmare within the house, and she had somehow been pulled into it before she woke, leaving her in no doubt as to whose sleep was being disturbed.**

_Sirius_ grimaced. “You don’t think the book’s going to go into it, do you? Because no one needs to see that.”

Hermione shrugged silently.

**She got out of bed and slipped her dressing gown on, trying it around her waist, before leaving her room and closing the door firmly behind her.**

“Smart move.” _Sirius_ said with a grimace. “Kreacher wanders.”

**The house was even creepier at night, and she tiptoed up the stairs almost silently. There were five floors in the new Headquarters, plus an attic and a basement, which housed the kitchen (being the least infested room and of a decent size, it had been duly decided upon as the meeting place).**

**The first floor held one bedroom only, dedicated to other uses instead – Hermione knew there was a dining room and what could have once been a ballroom of some kind, but she hadn’t investigated. It also held the library, which Sirius had made her promise to stay out of …**

Harry gasped. “And you agreed?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I had good reason.”

**… until he had cleaned it out, and then to avoid the books he didn’t expressly tell her were safe. Having just watched him wrestle a book to the ground to keep it from tearing his throat out, she made that promise very quickly.**

“Oh.” Harry shrugged. “Fair enough.”

**The other three floors all held three bedrooms. The third floor – where Hermione slept – held Sirius’s mother and father’s rooms. Hermione had been slightly surprised there were two master bedrooms, until she remembered that it was probably an arranged marriage.**

“Could barely handle being in the same room as one another.” Jen confirmed. “I couldn’t live like that.”

**Both were very gloomy and very ornate. Buckbeak was in the Mistress’s Chambers …**

Jen snorted, then burst out laughing. “Sirius, that’s pure gold.”

 _Sirius_ grinned. “I know.”

**… as Sirius had gleefully informed his mother’s portrait …**

“Of course you did.” Regulus sighed, his lips twitching.

**… resulting in a slew of insults that were still ringing in Hermione’s ears.**

**For such a ‘refined pureblood lady’, she certainly had an interesting vocabulary.**

“That she does.” _Sirius_ agreed gravely.

**Sirius had originally offered her and Remus rooms on the fourth floor, where his room was, but they had turned them down.**

**One had been Jen’s at one point, the other Regulus’s. Neither Hermione nor Remus felt comfortable taking Jen’s room …**

“You could have done.” Jen said. “I wouldn’t have minded.”

Hermione shrugged. “I didn’t know you, and Remus knew you too well.”

**… and Regulus’s … Well, it was almost eerie in there – everything was frozen in time, as though he’d simply gone out and not come back.**

“I suppose I did.” Regulus muttered.

 _Addie_ stiffened against _Sirius_ but didn’t say anything. He noticed this time, but held his peace for the time being.

**Which, Hermione reminded herself, he had, and his mother, whether out grief or something else, had just let the room remain as it was, a silent shrine to her oldest son.**

“Probably lost all hope of the line continuing.” _Sirius_ frowned.

**Hermione stepped on to the topmost landing, passing by the other two doors (one of which was neatly labelled with the words _Do not enter without the express permission of Regulus Arcturus Black_ ) and knocked on the third.**

**There was no answer, and she pushed the door open quietly, tentatively poking her head inside.**

**Sirius was still asleep, but he was clearly restless, and the emotion was stronger in here – a tepid mixture of fear, guilt and misery.**

“That’s not good.” Alice whispered.

**The architecture itself was the same as the other ‘Heir Suites’ (as Sirius had called them in a mocking tone), but the decoration was in red and gold, and Hermione couldn’t help allowing herself a smile at the reaction Sirius’s mother must have had when she saw it. There were also several pictures of motorcycles – Hermione remembered hearing an engine that Halloween night; maybe that’s what it was …**

“Good guess.” _Addie_ smirked.

**… as well as Muggle pictures of bikini-clad women.**

The smirk slid from her face. “Sirius Orion Black!”

“They were there when I was twelve!” _Sirius_ protested. “I was twelve – I just put them up to piss my mother off!”

“Hmm.” _Addie_ folded her arms. “Alright then.”

“Besides,” _Sirius_ whispered, when the attention had mostly left them, “none of them ever held a candle to you.”

 _Addie_ smiled reluctantly, and he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

**Given that Sirius ran away after first year, Hermione doubted there was anything other than innocent mischief behind that decision, but she still admired his guile.**

**She crept over to his side and put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. “Sirius?”**

**He didn’t wake, shivering violently. Having seen what he was dreaming, she didn’t blame him.**

“Was it that bad?” James asked, sounding concerned.

Hermione shivered. “Awful.”

**“Sirius! Wake up!”**

**Still, his eyes remained closed, his lips moving silently, and she sighed.**

**“SIRIUS!”**

Neville grimaced. “Sorry – it looks like we’re getting the nightmare. Do you want me to skip it?”

 _Sirius_ sighed. “No, you may as well read all of it. Just … brace yourselves. My nightmares are never pretty.”

**_The house looked just as it always had before that night, no peel of smoke billowing from it, no sign that anything was wrong._ **

Lily swallowed nervously. “Is that our house?”

 _Sirius_ nodded.

**_Sirius sprinted towards it, praying that everything had just been some horrible dream, and burst through the front door, but everyone was quiet._ **

**_It was never quiet._ **

“James snores.” _Sirius_ said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Does he ever?” _Addie_ agreed. “It’s a miracle we get any sleep out there.”

**_He ran up the stairs, listening desperately for any sign of life, and paused at the nursery, pushing the door open._ **

**_Rather than smoke and rubble, he was confronted by an empty room, grey stone walls, grey stone ceiling, grey stone floor._ **

**_He stepped inside and the door swung closed behind him, leaving him in a heavy silence. His footsteps echoed and the room seemed to expand as he walked, getting larger and larger._ **

**_But still empty … except …_ **

**_Something was lying up ahead, and he quickened his pace, racing towards it, only to skid to a horror-struck stop, when he realised that it was James Potter, lying spread-eagled, glasses askew, staring unseeingly at the ceiling._ **

Lily shuddered, clinging to her boyfriend. “But … you never found …”

“I know.” _Sirius_ took a shaky breath. “My nightmares don’t seem to care.”

**_Time seemed to stop as Sirius fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands. “Merlin, Prongs, I am so sorry …”  
A hand grabbed his arm, causing him to jump, and he looked up to see James grinning at him._ **

James relaxed. “I was expecting worse.”

“Oh, we’re only just getting started.” Hermione said darkly.

**_But this wasn’t James’s usual, I-just-pulled-a-prank-and-you-are-never-going-to-live-this-down grin. No, this was cold and slightly maniacal, and it sent a shiver down Sirius’s spine, because James never looked like this, not even going after Death Eaters._ **

**_“You killed us, Sirius.”_ **

“No, you didn’t.” James said immediately. “It wasn’t your fault.”

**_Sirius shook his head frantically. “No! No, I didn’t, James! It was Voldemort!”_ **

**_James’s hand twitched, and Sirius watched in horror as the skin began to peel away from it._ **

“Oh Merlin …” Lily whispered, her face pale.

**_“You told us to switch to Wormtail!” James whispered._ **

“That wasn’t your fault!” Lily protested. “You know it wasn’t your fault!”

“Again, my nightmares don’t seem to care.” _Sirius_ repeated.

**_“You killed Lily! You killed me! You took away the only family Harry had!”_ **

**_“He has family!” Sirius protested. “He’s got me! And Moony! And Mandy and Arabella …”_ **

**_“But he’s not with you now, is he?” James’s hand, now more bone than flesh, fastened itself around Sirius’s throat. “He’s at Hogwarts, where you left him to deal with hell on his own._ **

“I can’t deny him that.” _Sirius_ whispered.

“Don’t be a prat.” James said fiercely. “Mandy and Ara were with him – you didn’t leave him on his own!”

**_And then he’s going back to Petunia. You remember Petunia, don’t you Sirius? You remember the times Lily cried over her. Do you really think she treats Harry any better?!”_ **

“It’s not your fault!” Harry stated firmly.

**_His hand tightened and Sirius gasped for air. “You deserved Azkaban for what you did to us!_ **

James rocked back in his seat, his face pale. “Padfoot, I’d never …”

“I know.” _Sirius_ said, managing a weak smile. “You can’t tell me all of your nightmares make sense.”

**_We were happy, dammit!”  
“Not so tight, James.” Lily’s voice admonished, though far more coldly than Sirius remembered. “Don’t make it too quick.”_ **

**_“L-Lily …” Sirius managed to turn his head as James’s grip loosened ever so slightly, but he immediately wished he hadn’t. Lily’s once vibrant hair was dull and flat, her eyes lifeless, but filled with a malicious glint that he really didn’t like._ **

Lily released James and jumped to her feet, racing across the room to hug _Sirius_ tightly. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry-”

“Lily, it’s not your fault.” _Sirius_ insisted. “This was a _nightmare_ , nothing more.”

**_“You’re a traitor to the Order, Sirius.” Lily said coldly. “A traitor to your friends. A traitor to your family. How could you?!”_ **

**_“Lily …” Sirius choked out. “Lily, I’m sorry! I didn’t know; I swear!”  
“Face it, Sirius.” Another, chillingly familiar, voice stated. “You could have saved them.”_ **

_Sirius_ ’s face paled. “Dammit.” He muttered. “I’d forgotten this bit.”

**_James finally released Sirius, shoving him away, and he spun around, praying it wasn’t who he thought it was, but, for the first time, he found himself wishing he wasn’t seeing Addie’s face before him._ **

“Sirius …” _Addie_ whispered.

Across the room, their past counterparts were clinging to each other, and Lily moved away to give them some privacy.

“Just a nightmare.” _Sirius_ whispered, his eyes closed.

**_Because it wasn’t her face – her smile and her eyes were colder than he’d ever seen them, and, like James, she was slowly decaying, as though she had climbed out of a grave. “You could have saved me.”_ **

“No, you couldn’t.” _Addie_ disagreed. “You thought I was dead.”

**_“Addie …”  
“I loved you – I trusted you! You left me here to die!”_ **

“Oh gods, I did.” _Sirius_ moaned quietly.

“Stop it.” _Addie_ said, sharper than she intended. “Just stop it, Sirius.”

**_“Addie, please …”_ **

**_“You’re no better than them.” Tears began to spill from her eyes, and it was worse than her coldness, because he always hated seeing her cry._ **

_Addie_ gave up on words, tugging on his sleeve and opening her arms. He transformed into _Padfoot_ , and she held him close, stroking his fur softly.

**_“No better than Bellatrix …”  
“Sirius …”_ **

**_“No better than your mother …”_ **

**_“Sirius! Wake up!”_ **

**_“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”  
“SIRIUS!”_ **

**Hermione jumped back and breathed a sigh of relief as her last shout caused Sirius to jerk awake …**

“Thank Merlin.” James breathed, taking his girlfriend back into his arms.

**… flushed in a cold sweat. “Are you alright?”  
“Nightmare.” Sirius gasped out, sitting up. “I’m fine.”**

“I doubt that.” Jen said shakily. **  
**

**“I’ll agree with the first.” Hermione said. “Maybe not the second. You’re still shaking.”  
“Really bad nightmare.” Sirius amended.**

_Addie_ rolled her eyes. “Understatement.”

**“What time is it?”**

**“About three o’clock, I think.” Hermione answered.**

**“Why are you awake?” Sirius asked, his breathing becoming steadier.**

**“You had a nightmare, I’m an empath.” Hermione said with a shrug. “And you managed to drag me into it. I would have rated that as worse than ‘really bad’.”**

**“I’ve had worse, but I’m sorry you had to see it.” Sirius reached out a hand and she sat next to him, letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders. She wasn’t sure if it was for her sake or his, but she didn’t care – the dream had shaken her as well.**

“I’m not surprised.” Harry remarked shakily, gripping Hermione’s hand tightly.

**They sat there in comfortable silence for well over twenty minutes, until movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned her head and saw a magical photograph lying on the nightstand.**

**Sirius had stopped shaking now, but he was still very tense and, wanting to take his mind off of his nightmare, she picked the photograph up and lit her wand to examine it.**

“I doubt it will.” Jen said sadly.

**There were ten people in the photograph, all about sixteen or seventeen years of age, all sitting on the bank of the Hogwarts lake, smiling and waving at the camera.**

Alice smiled softly. “That was taken a few days ago, I think.”

“Wait.” Sirius frowned. “What’s that doing at Grimmauld?”

“Remus brought it.” Hermione explained. “Said the place could use some cheering up.”

“You’ll need more than a photograph.” Jen said darkly.

**Hermione’s gaze was drawn first to James and Lily, on the right hand side of the photo, holding hands and exchanging loving looks.**

**Beside them, Sirius was laughing and joking with a girl she didn’t recognise with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Every now and then, he would say something that would cause her to smack his arm, but her smile never wavered.**

“Me.” _Addie_ murmured, raking her fingers through _Sirius_ ’s fur.

**To their left, Remus was smiling tiredly at whoever was taking the picture. Maybe it had been a full moon the night before or not long ago. His arm was around the waist of a girl Hermione assumed to be Jen. Her dark hair was pulled back into a braid, her eyes the same grey as Sirius’s. ‘Stunning’, Remus had called her – and Hermione had to agree.**

“Thank you, Hermione.” Jen said.

“Welcome.” Hermione responded brightly. “I think it’s just Black genetics though.”

“Tell me about it.” Addie said, rolling her eyes. “They’re so genetically blessed, it’s absurd.”

Sirius grinned weakly, still a little shaken from the nightmare. “You admit I’m good-looking then.”

“I never denied it.” Addie pointed out, smiling slightly.

**Peter was next to them, and Hermione’s eyes lingered on him for a few minutes.**

Harry groaned. “Do they have to?”

Hermione sighed. “Sorry. Curiosity.”

**He was different than she had expected – from the encounter in the Shack, and the way McGonagall and Madam Rosmerta had talked about him in the Three Broomsticks, she had assumed that Peter had been a tagalong, not really part of the group, but if that was true, it didn’t convey itself in the picture. He held himself well – not with the easy confidence of James, or the casual elegance of Sirius – but he was there, with no sign of discomfort or the air of I-can’t-believe-my-luck that she was expecting.**

Hermione shook her head. “I still don’t get him.”

“None of us do.” _Addie_ said bluntly, ending the topic of conversation.

**He was talking to Mandy, Arabella, and another girl Hermione didn’t know, but recognised nonetheless. She had curly dark hair and blue eyes, with a round face that reminded her strongly of someone she went to school with.**

**“That’s Neville Longbottom’s mum, isn’t it?” She asked, pointing to her.**

Alice smiled, looking at Neville. “You do look a lot like me, you know. Except your eyes – you have your father’s eyes.”

**“Alice Bones.” Sirius confirmed. “Well, Alice Longbottom eventually, of course.”**

Alice blushed slightly.

**Hermione nodded, remembering what Neville had said about his mum and Susan’s dad. “So she’s Susan Bones’s aunt, right?”**

**“That’s right. Susan was Edgar’s daughter – the rest of the family was killed in the first war.” Sirius told her. “I believe Susan lives with their other sister, Amelia.”**

Alice relaxed slightly. “At least she wasn’t there as well when … when it happened.”

**Hermione frowned, realising that Neville had only ever mentioned his mum that one time. “Sirius …” she said slowly. “What happened to her?**

Hermione winced. “I’m sorry, Neville. It was really none of my …”

But Neville was shaking his head. “It’s alright, Hermione. It’s natural that you’d be curious. Out of interest, how were you going to handle it come September?”

“I wouldn’t have said anything.” Hermione answered. “If there came a time when you wanted me to know, you’d tell me.”

**Because Neville lives with his grandmother, but … he’s never spoken about them …”**

**“She’s in St Mungo’s.” Sirius answered heavily. “In the long-term ward. Shortly after Voldemort fell, she and Frank were tortured into insanity by some of his followers.”**

**“Oh Merlin.” Hermione closed her eyes, thankful beyond anything that she hadn’t questioned Neville about his mum that day in December. “No wonder he doesn’t tell anyone; that must be awful …”**

**“She was David Potter’s goddaughter.” Sirius said absently. “She was like James’s little sister – probably the only person who could get away with calling him ‘Jamie’.” He chuckled. “He’d have gutted the rest of us.”**

“Still do it though, don’t you?” James muttered.

**“But that didn’t stop you, did it.” Hermione asked smirking.**

“Course not.” Sirius said with a grin.

**“No.” Sirius admitted grinning.**

**Hermione laughed, looking back at the photo. “That’s Addie, isn’t it?” She asked, pointing at the girl he was talking to.**

_Padfoot_ let out a quiet whimper, and _Addie_ rubbed his head gently.

**“Yeah.” Sirius answered, his smile fading slightly. “That’s Addie.”**

**Hermione tilted her head up to see his face. “It wasn’t your fault, you know. And Addie doesn’t blame you.”**

“I don’t.” _Addie_ whispered, giving Hermione another grateful smile.

**“I thought you couldn’t talk to her.” Sirius said mildly.**

**“I can’t.” Hermione agreed. “But remember what Lily said the first time I spoke to her? She still loves you.**

“You know I do.” _Addie_ said, when _Padfoot_ looked up at her. “Can you turn back now?”

 _Sirius_ transformed, and pulled her into his arms, kissing her head. “Love you too.”

**She can’t blame you – and it’s not your fault anyway.”**

**“I could have …”  
“So could everyone else.” Hermione interrupted. “No one knew for sure she was dead, and no one looked.**

“Besides,” _Addie_ said, “you’d seen my body. There was no reason to believe that I was alive.”

**That’s not your fault. And neither was what happened to James and Lily, for that matter, so stop it.” She looked back at the photo without waiting for a response, and pointed to the girl beside Remus. “That’s Jen.”**

**Sirius nodded. “Yeah, that’s Jenny.”**

Jen rolled her eyes. “Typical.”

**He sniggered. “Not that she liked me calling her that. Only Reg could get away with calling her that.”**

**“I thought you didn’t get along with your brother.” Hermione said curiously.**

**“We got along fine until Jen and I were sorted into Gryffindor.” Sirius sighed. “Suddenly we ceased to exist to him.**

Regulus winced, closing his eyes.

**It hurt me, it nearly killed Jen.**

“Remus,” Regulus said in a measured tone, “do you mind if I borrow my sister for a bit?”

Remus released her and she wrapped her arms around Regulus, curling into his chest,

**I suppose you could say she was a Daddy’s Girl, and our father was never the paternal type.”**

**“So Regulus filled that spot.” Hermione said softly.**

Regulus kissed her forehead. “Love you, Jenny.” He whispered.

**“What happened to him? There’s a date of death on the tapestry …”**

**“Honestly, Kitten, I don’t know.” Sirius admitted. “Two days after Jen disappeared, we got word that Reg was dead … word through the grapevine was that he’d been killed by aurors, but no one in the aurors had any knowledge of it. Personally, I think he got in so far, realised the lengths Voldemort was willing to go, and tried to back out.”**

“That’s …” _Addie_ ’s voice cracked and she swallowed. “That’s not true.”

Everyone looked at her, and Regulus pulled Jen closer. “I thought you said you didn’t want to tell the story.”

“I don’t.” _Addie_ said, her voice gaining strength. “But that story paints you as a coward, and if you were anything, it wasn’t that. Regulus knew where one of the Horcruxes was; Voldemort had used Kreacher to hide it. Kreacher only survived because Regulus ordered him to return. Were it not for Jen’s disappearance, I reckon Regulus would have sat on it until he found someone to tell. As it were …” she sighed. “He went after it. I don’t know how he got back to us, but it took an hour before he was cohesive enough to tell me what happened and that,” she shuddered, “is not something I want to repeat. He was going to apparate home, but I-I told him to stay, because he’d splinch himself … told him to get some rest first. He … He never woke up.”

Regulus looked pale, but determined. “Well, if I have to go … Do you think the full story will be in the books?”

“Assuming we get the future,” _Addie_ said shakily, “I hope so.”

“How can you hope for that?” James asked.

“It means she’s there to tell it.” Sirius pointed out, slightly icily.

Alice looked warily at Regulus and Jen, before nudging Neville. “Go on, sweetheart.”

**“You think Voldemort killed him.” Hermione concluded.**

**“On his orders, at the very least.” Sirius agreed quietly.**

**In another attempt to change the subject, Hermione asked a question that had been bothering her for the last few days. “Why Jennifer?”**

“Didn’t Remus tell you that?” Sirius asked, looking puzzled.

Hermione smiled weakly. “I meant the name.”

**Sirius gave her a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”**

**“Well …” Hermione shrugged. “Sirius, Regulus, Narcissa, Bellatrix, Andromeda … They’re all unusual. Actually, they’re all stars, except Narcissa. That’s a flower.”**

**“Well, Black family tradition says we name our children after stars and constellations.” Sirius explained, rolling his eyes. “But it gets a little difficult with girls, so if you can’t go star, you go Latin, flower or mythology.”**

“ _So_ not sticking to that tradition.” Sirius and Jen said together.

“Careful.” _Sirius_ warned. “Andie said that, and she ended up with Nymphadora.”

“We are _not_ calling our daughter Nymphadora.” _Addie_ said firmly.

 _Sirius_ raised an eyebrow. “What daughter?”

 _Addie_ sighed. “Alright, hypothetical daughter.”

**“Still doesn’t explain Jennifer.” Hermione pointed out.**

**Sirius smirked. “That’s because Jennifer wasn’t her real name. It was Guinevere.”**

Jen rolled her eyes. “Thank you.”

**“Now _that_ sounds more like it.” Hermione remarked. “So why do you and Remus call her Jennifer then?”**

**“Because she didn’t answer to Guinevere.” Sirius answered simply. “It wasn’t like Andie’s daughter, Nymphadora – she’ll hex you if you insist on using it – she just blanked you until you called her Jennifer or Jen. And she was stubborn. David Potter wrote to McGonagall just before the Sorting warning her, so even the teachers called her Jennifer.”**

“Would you really have ignored them?” Ginny asked.

Jen sighed. “Not for the Sorting, no. But it would have gone against every single one of my principles.”

**Hermione nodded. “Andie – Andromeda’s the Healer, right? Why was she disowned?”**

**“She married a Muggle-born, Ted Tonks.” Sirius answered with a smile. “Nice guy.”**

“I’ve never met him.” Regulus admitted, regret tinging his tone.

“He is a nice guy.” Jen confirmed.

**He reached for his wand and flicked it in front of him. “ _Tempus_.”**

**Glowing numbers appeared in front of them. _03:49._**

“Back to bed.” Lily and _Addie_ said in unison.

“Yes Mum.” Hermione said tiredly. “Yes Aunt Lily. Just as soon as I get my hands on a time-turner again.”

Both witches laughed, although _Addie_ ’s remained on her face, Hermione’s wording, however light-hearted, warming her soul.

**“You need to go back to bed.” He told her. “It’s too early for you to be awake – you need to sleep.”**

**Hermione didn’t bother to argue, putting the photograph back on the nightstand. “Are you sure you’re alright?”**

**Sirius smiled, kissing her forehead. “I’ll be fine.”**

**Hermione stood up, stretched, and made her way towards the door. Just as she reached it, she remembered something she’d been meaning to ask, and turned around. “What was her Marauder name? Jen, I mean.”**

“Selena.” The Marauders chorused.

**“Selena.” Sirius answered. “Her Animagus form was a wolf.”**

**Hermione smiled. “Goddess of the moon. Appropriate.”**

“Thank you.” Lily said with a grin.

**“Lily thought so.” Sirius agreed. “Goodnight.”**

**“Night, Padfoot.”**

**Seven hours later, Hermione was sitting down in the kitchen at the huge oak table. She had been unable to get back to sleep and, eventually, gave up, wandering down to the huge, cavernous room. She had whiled away the time by making a ridiculous amount of food for breakfast …**

“How much is a ridiculous amount?” Fred asked.

“Enough to feed most of Gryffindor.” _Sirius_ answered with a wry grin.

**… and mentally listing all of the very good reasons why she couldn’t – and shouldn’t – visit the library yet.**

“Good girl.” _Sirius_ said. “It shouldn’t be long, and we’ll have it sorted.”

**“Did you even go back to bed?” Sirius asked tiredly, appearing in the doorway.**

_Addie_ tutted softly. “Manners, Sirius.”

**“Good morning to you too.” Hermione said flatly. “Yes, I did, but I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I gave up at about six. I figured if I came down here and made coffee and breakfast, I’d be less likely to be tempted by the library.”**

**“McGonagall will bring your trunk by today.” Sirius told her, sitting opposite her. “How much food did you make?”**

**Hermione blushed slightly. “More than necessary, admittedly. I got a bit carried away.”**

**“Nothing wrong with that.” Sirius told her, loading his plate up. “One can never have too much breakfast.**

“Very true.” Remus agreed sagely. “I’ll probably appreciate it as well, given that it’s only a few days after the full moon.”

**I’ve never known a fourth year to drink coffee before – normally that hits in the OWL season.”**

**“I’ve been hooked since second year.” Hermione admitted, taking a sip. “Merlin knows I needed it.”**

**“What actually happened during your first two years?” Sirius asked curiously, pouring himself a mug as well. “No one seems to want to answer the question. It can’t have been anything bad, can it?”**

Lily laughed bitterly. “Not at all, Padfoot, why do you ask?”

 _Sirius_ shook his head. “I could have lived a lifetime without knowing the answer to that.” **  
**

**Hermione considered that for a few seconds. “They were worse than third year.” She said finally. “But better than this one.”**

**Sirius closed his eyes. “You spent third year thinking I was trying to kill Harry.” He said in a strained voice. “What could be worse than that?”**

“Oh, you know.” Harry said lightly. “Voldemort attempting a comeback, a mountain troll, and a basilisk.”

**Hermione sighed heavily. “Can we wait for Harry so we can tell you together?” She asked, almost desperately. “It’s a long story, and I don’t know all of it anyway.”**

**“Then tell me this,” Sirius said quietly, “how bad are Harry’s aunt and uncle?”**

Harry raised an eyebrow. “How did you know they _were_ bad?” He asked. “I never said anything.”

“I know you didn’t.” _Sirius_ said, a little exasperated. “Although you should have done.”

**Hermione hid her grimace by taking another sip of coffee. “What makes you think they’re bad?”**

**“The fact that after knowing I was innocent for an hour …**

“Not even that.” _Addie_ frowned slightly.

**… he was willing to choose me over them.” Sirius answered heavily. “Plus, he’s told me about Jess in his letters – it can’t be a normal family situation for him to prefer his next-door neighbour.”**

Harry sighed. “Yeah, I suppose so.”

“It’s not your fault, Harry.” Lily said softly. “It’s my damn sister’s.” **  
**

**Hermione heaved another sigh. “I don’t know.” She said, only half-truthfully. “Harry never talks about them. He didn’t know he was a wizard until he was eleven, and they told him James and Lily died in a car crash.”**

**In actual fact, Harry _had_ told her more about the Dursleys – a lot more – but Sirius was _not_ going to happy when he heard it, and she  would much rather have someone else there to keep him from doing anything stupid when she told him.**

“Fair enough.” _Sirius_ said reluctantly.

**Sirius muttered something under his breath that sounded as though it was aimed at the Dursleys, but Hermione didn’t ask him to repeat it, because at that moment, a clanging noise echoed through the house, and Mrs Black’s portrait began screaming.**

Sirius groaned. “How often does that happen?”

“A lot.” Fred said dryly. “People keep ringing the doorbell and Kreacher keeps ‘accidentally’ waking her up.”

**Again.**

**“Bloody hell!” Sirius exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “Is that the time? The meeting starts in an hour!”**

**“Someone’s early.” Hermione commented, getting up as well. “I’ll get it.”**

**“Where’s Remus?” Sirius asked, looking up the staircase to the main hall, as though expecting his best friend to suddenly materialise.**

_Addie_ gasped in mock-hurt. “I’m not your best friend?!”

“Well, I …” _Sirius_ stopped himself. “Of course you’re my best friend.”

“Good.” _Addie_ said smugly.

 _Sirius_ shook his head with a fond smile. “Out of interest, Shadow, who’s _your_ best friend?”

 _Addie_ smirked. “Well, Lily, obviously.”

**“Popped out to run a few errands.” Hermione answered. “But he knows better than to ring the doorbell – stay here.”**

“Plus, Remus can get in without knocking.” Hermione added.

**She hurried up the stairs and into the hallway, diving for the curtains that now framed the portrait.**

**After much struggling, in which the word ‘Mudblood’ was screamed at least fifteen times and ignored just as many (much to Mrs Black’s mounting anger) …**

“Out of interest, is it easier to fight back or not?” Jen asked.

Hermione grimaced. “Fighting back encourages her, ignoring her makes her angry. I find the latter more satisfying.”

**… Hermione managed to close the curtains and the furious old woman fell silent.**

**Pausing to catch her breath, and to direct a Silencing Charm at the other portraits, Hermione opened the door to see Professor McGonagall standing on the step, looking very unusual in a brown Muggle house-coat. “Good morning, Miss Granger.”**

**“Good morning, Professor.” Hermione greeted in a whisper, stepping back to let her in. “Sorry about the wait, but our hostess isn’t very accommodating.”**

Sirius snorted. “There’s an understatement if ever there was one.”

**“Yes, Walburga Black was always a thoroughly unpleasant woman.” McGonagall agreed in the same quiet tone, as Hermione led her down into the kitchen.**

“I knew I liked Minnie.” Sirius said cheerfully.

“I thought you liked me.” Addie responded innocently.

“Not like … I mean …” Sirius sighed. “Never mind.”

**When they got there, Padfoot was sitting beside the table, wagging his tail hopefully, and wearing the most pathetic ‘puppy-dog’ eyes Hermione had ever seen.**

_Addie_ groaned. “Oh, Padfoot, you know that doesn’t work on her.”

“Not as a human.” _Sirius_ corrected. “As a dog …”

“It doesn’t work.” Hermione finished with a smirk.

**McGonagall removed her coat, revealing an old-fashioned tweed day-dress. “That won’t work on me, Black.” She said sternly, laying the coat over the back of a chair. “Professor Dumbledore told me everything.”**

**Padfoot whined softly, looking at Hermione, who shrugged. “Don’t look at me. She’s my head of house too, remember.”**

“I still don’t know what you wanted me to do.” Hermione said.

**Turning human again in one smooth movement, Sirius gave Professor McGonagall a charming smile. “Good morning, Professor – may I say how lovely you look today?”**

“Nice try, Padfoot.” James sniggered. “It’s not going to work though.”

**“Don’t give me that!” McGonagall snapped. “Now I would like to think that the Headmaster is mistaken on this point, but he very rarely is. Is it true that you became an illegal Animagus, right under my nose, in fifth year?!”**

“Uh oh.” Remus and James said, smirking. **  
**

**Sirius gulped audibly. “Well … it was towards the end of fourth year actually … but, yes ma’am, that’s true.”**

**“Well, I have just one thing to say to you, young man!” McGonagall paused, and Sirius flinched in anticipation.**

“You’re dead.” James predicted.

**Then, she smiled – the first real smile Hermione had seen her give anyone in a long time. “I am incredibly proud of you.”**

James’s jaw dropped.

“Wait, what?” Sirius asked.

**“What?” Sirius asked, looking bewildered, only for her to step forward and hug him, like he was her long-lost son who had finally returned home.**

“What?!” Sirius repeated, as the others laughed. **  
**

**Hermione picked up her coffee again, hiding her smile behind her mug, as Sirius tentatively patted McGonagall on the shoulder, looking slightly scared by this sudden turn of events.**

“Slightly scared?” _Sirius_ snorted. “Try completely terrified.”

“Really, Padfoot?” Harry asked. “Where’s your Gryffindor bravery?”

“It was McGonagall!” _Sirius_ protested. “Hugging me!”

 _Addie_ patted his arm, grinning broadly. “We know, hun.”

**As Professor McGonagall released him, the doorbell rang again, and Mrs Black’s screams echoed through the house once more.**

**Sirius groaned. “Professor, I don’t suppose you can remove a Permanent Sticking Charm, can you?”**

Lily rolled her eyes. “Clue’s in the name, Padfoot.”

**Professor McGonagall didn’t quite roll her eyes, but it looked like it was difficult not to. “Believe it or not, Mr Black, the whole point of a Permanent Sticking Charm is that it is permanent.”**

Narcissa chuckled. “If there’s one thing Professor McGonagall’s good at, it’s sarcasm.”

**Hermione tried and failed to hold back a snigger. “Help yourself to coffee and breakfast, Professor. Sirius, you might want to stay as Padfoot until the meeting starts.” She hurried up the stairs and into the hallway, skidding to a halt in front of the painting. “Listen, you old bat, I’m not spending the entire morning shutting you up every five minutes!”**

Jen, Sirius, Fred and Ginny applauded, causing Hermione to blush.

**Her words seemed to startle the old woman, which gave Hermione the opportunity to force the curtains shut.**

“That’s the trick then.” Ginny remarked.

Hermione sighed. “No, the trick is coming up with something that will surprise her. It gets difficult.”

**_So that’s the answer – say something to stun her into silence and then close the curtains._ **

**Musing on this new development, Hermione opened the door to see a tall, bald, black man, who looked to be about Sirius and Remus’s age, with a single gold hoop in his right ear.**

“Know who he is, Dad?” James asked.

David shook his head with a frown. “No idea.”

“Kingsley Shacklebolt.” _Sirius_ supplied. “Year above us, Ravenclaw.”

**The witch beside him was in her early twenties, and had bright pink hair and dark twinkling eyes that shone from a pale, heart-shaped face.**

“What about her?” Narcissa asked.

 _Sirius_ smirked. “You’ll see.”

**There was another man with them as well, but he was standing behind them shrouded in a travelling cloak.**

**“Password?”**

“Good girl.” Regulus said. “Should have done it with McGonagall, really.”

Neville coughed and read the next few lines.

**She should have gone through this with Professor McGonagall as well, she realised, but she couldn’t see any Death Eater willingly disguising themselves as Minerva McGonagall.**

**They’d never live it down.**

Regulus smirked. “Good point.”

**“At least someone’s got some sense.” The cloaked man growled.**

**Hermione’s heart seemed to stutter to a halt, and she raised her wand, her hand shaking slightly.**

“Ah.” David said, realisation dawning. “It’s Alastor.”

**“Password?”**

**“Phoenix.” The young woman supplied, with a reassuring smile. “Are you alright, miss?”**

**“You must be young Potter’s friend.” The other man lowered the hood of his cloak, revealing mismatched eyes, one of which was scanning the house, and a heavily scarred face.**

“I suppose it would be quite daunting to suddenly encounter him.” David frowned. “Considering that the last time you saw him, he was a Death Eater in disguise.”

**“I understand from Potter that you’re the one who took down the arsehole pretending to be me.”**

“We were both stuck in the hospital wing.” Harry explained. “He asked me to fill him in.”

**“Y-Yes, sir.” Hermione lowered her wand again. “Sorry, Professor, I wasn’t expecting you – it took me by surprise. Come in – keep your voices down in the hallway.”**

**“No point calling me ‘Professor’, lass.” He told her, limping over the threshold. “Didn’t get round to much teaching, did I? Just call me Mad-Eye – everyone else does.” He took out a flask from his pocket and took a swig.**

Lily stiffened, and James squeezed her shoulder. “Relax, Lils. Moody drinks from that anyway, remember?”

**Seeing her eyes fixed on the flask, he offered her a twisted smile and removed the lid, holding it out for her to sniff. “Firewhiskey.”**

Lily nodded approvingly. “Nice of him to reassure her.”

“He was probably appreciating her suspicion.” David said.

**Hermione wrinkled her nose at the smell. “Better than Polyjuice.” She turned to the other two, holding her hand out. “Hermione Granger. Fourth year Gryffindor.”**

**“Kingsley Shacklebolt.” The man said in a deep slow voice, shaking her hand. “Former Ravenclaw, current auror. This is Nymphadora Tonks.”**

“That’s my niece?” Narcissa asked, her voice cracking. “Have I …?”

“You’ve never met her, as far as I’m aware.” _Sirius_ said gently.

**She rolled her eyes, shaking Hermione’s hand in turn. “ _Don’t_ call me Nymphadora unless you want me to hex you – Tonks is fine. Why are we whispering?”**

**Before Hermione could explain, the doorbell rang and the curtains flew open again.**

**“FILTH! SLIME! HOW DARE YOU …?!”**

**Hermione sighed. “That’s why. Go on down to the kitchen; there’s food and coffee if you want it. Sooner Remus gets back the better,” she muttered under her breath as the three made their way down the hall.**

“Sorry.” Remus said sheepishly.

Hermione laughed. “You got back soon enough, don’t worry.”

**Once they were out of earshot, she turned to Mrs Black with a bright smile. “Hi Grandma! Didn’t Dad tell you about me?!”**

_Sirius_ laughed. “I bet she loved that!”

“She looked as though she would have exploded if I hadn’t closed the curtains.” Hermione said, before adding thoughtfully, “Maybe I should have let her. It might have knocked her off the wall.”

**Once again, she took advantage of the temporary silence and forced the curtains closed. “This is going to be a long day.”**

**An hour later, most of the Order had arrived, and there were more people than she had expected.**

“Still not enough though.” _Sirius_ sighed.

**Thankfully, Remus had returned before long, and they had taken it in turns to shut Mrs Black up and let people in.**

**Hermione was currently leaning against the kitchen wall and trying to remember at least some names.**

“To be fair,” Hermione said, “it wasn’t the names I had trouble with. It was matching those names with faces.”

**Nearest her, Hestia Jones – short auburn hair with pink cheeks – and Emmeline Vance – tall, with long black hair braided down her back – were conversing cheerfully. Hestia was also an auror, she had told Hermione, and Emmeline worked elsewhere in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.**

“I think I know Hestia.” David said. “She’s just joined us. Lost her fiancé a few months ago.”

 _Sirius_ nodded. “That’s her. She didn’t handle his death well at all.”

“I didn’t know you knew her.” _Addie_ said.

 _Sirius_ shrugged. “We worked together. I missed you. She missed him. We bonded – platonically.” He added hastily.

“I didn’t know she was in the Order though.” David said, frowning.

“No one knows who’s in the Order.” _Sirius_ explained. “That’s kind of the point.”

**A few seats down, Elphias Doge – almost as old as Dumbledore, but very short – and Dedalus Diggle – just as short, but slightly younger, and wearing a most peculiar violet top hat – were discussing the Ministry in very grave voices.**

“They don’t surprise me.” David remarked.

**Next to them, Mad-Eye was drinking from his hip-flask and watching Mundungus Fletcher – short and pudgy, with droopy blood-shot eyes, and had a smell of stale smoke and firewhiskey lingering around him – suspiciously …**

Mandy grimaced. “He’s really gone downhill, hasn’t he?”

 _Sirius_ sighed. “Like I said, he went native.”

**… although Fletcher seemed more interested in examining the Black Family silver than paying attention to the grizzled old auror.**

Regulus sighed. “Don’t let him, Sirius. I know you can’t stand our family, and I respect that, but please don’t let him.”

“He won’t.” _Addie_ said confidently. “Will you?”

“And why not?” _Sirius_ asked in a whisper.

 _Addie_ smirked. “What would piss your mother off more – completely turning your back on everything that represents your family, or using the money and standing to help the war effort?”

 _Sirius_ looked at her admiringly. “You’re devious, you know that? I love you.”

**Bill Weasley was talking to Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks, who – Hermione had remembered – was Sirius’s first cousin once removed. She couldn’t believe it had taken her so long to realise that – Sirius had mentioned her earlier that morning, but the resemblance between the two cousins was almost non-existent.**

**At least it was until Tonks mentioned that she was a Metamorphmagus and Hermione realised that she might not be seeing what the woman really looked like.**

“What _does_ she really look like?” Narcissa asked.

“Bit like you, actually.” _Sirius_ admitted. “Or rather, like Andie with blonde hair, which is almost the same thing, and a bit of Ted mixed in. She just prefers having pink or purple or turquoise hair.”

**Mr and Mrs Weasley were sitting next to Bill, talking in low voices, looking uncharacteristically worried.**

**No one was paying attention to the large black dog sitting at Hermione’s feet, except Mrs Weasley and Bill, who kept looking over warily …**

“Of course.” Arabella murmured. “They haven’t been told the full story yet.”

**… and Professor McGonagall, who was scribbling something on a spare piece of parchment with one hand and absently scratching Padfoot’s head with the other.**

James sniggered. “Tell me you got a picture?”

Hermione laughed. “Sorry. No camera.”

**Hermione smirked inwardly at what the other Marauders would have said if they’d known while they were at Hogwarts.**

“Don’t you dare.” _Sirius_ said, beating James and Remus to it.

**Judging by the smirk Remus wasn’t bothering to hide, it would have been quite entertaining to witness.**

**But there were two people missing that Hermione had been expecting to see, and she leaned over to Remus. “Where are Mandy and Arabella?”**

Hermione shook her head. “I should have known.” **  
**

**“They told Albus, in no uncertain terms, that they weren’t leaving the castle until Harry did.” Remus told her just as quietly. “Not even for Order meetings. Are _they_ here?”**

**Hermione shook her head, straightening up again. No, James and Lily were nowhere to be seen, and hadn’t been for a few days. She could only assume they were still with Harry.**

**At least, she hoped that was where they were.**

“They were.” Hermione said hastily. “I’ve seen them since.”

**Finally, Professor Dumbledore entered the room and the gathered Order members lapsed into silence.**

**“Thank you all for coming today.” Professor Dumbledore said gravely. “However much I wish we had no need to gather, we find it once again necessary.”**

**“He’s definitely back, Dumbledore?” A voice asked – Hermione couldn’t see who.**

“Sturgis Podmore.” _Sirius_ said. “Five years ahead of us. Ravenclaw.”

“He was a Chaser, wasn’t he?” James asked, thinking back. “Graduated after our second year.”

**Dumbledore nodded. “I’m afraid so, Sturgis. I must admit, I had been expecting this to happen eventually. As I am sure you have noticed, the Ministry is doing their best to ignore what is happening, so, once again, we are forced to act in their stead. First things first, I am sure you are wondering about our headquarters.”**

**There was a murmur of agreement, and Emmeline shuddered delicately. “Where exactly are we, Professor? This place looks like it belonged to the darkest of Dark Wizards.”**

“Yeah, that about sums it up.” Jen muttered.

**“It did.” Dumbledore agreed. “The Black Family, to be exact.”**

**Hestia gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “But … But Professor! Sirius Black … what if he comes back here?!”**

_Addie_ scowled. “I thought you said you were friends.”

“We were.” _Sirius_ confirmed. “Moony didn’t believe me either.”

“That’s different.” _Addie_ insisted. “Remus knew about the Fidelius Charm. He had some form of evidence, even if it was false. She just thought you suddenly murdered thirteen people.”

 _Sirius_ rolled his eyes, but kissed her head. “It’s fine, sweetheart. Besides, Hestia was in the Order. She did know about the Fidelius.”

**A flash of pain and a whimper from her feet caught her attention, and Hermione reached down to pat Padfoot’s head, not bothering to wonder – Hestia was about his age and, as an auror, she would have worked with him.**

**Dumbledore caught her eye and motioned her forwards. “To answer your question, Hestia, I would like to introduce you all to Hermione Granger. I am sure some of you may have met her already – to forestall your protests, I am not about to induct her into the Order; though I am sure she would make a great asset, she is still only fifteen.”**

“Well, that’s something.” David muttered.

**Hermione blushed slightly at the praise. “Thank you, Headmaster.”**

**“Hermione is here to answer that very question.” Dumbledore told them, his eyes twinkling slightly. “Miss Granger?”**

**Hermione stepped forward, feeling a little nervous as every face turned to look at her. She caught Remus’s eye and he nodded encouragingly; they had already discussed how she would explain all this.**

**“Bill,” she began, “when you were at Hogwarts, did you ever hear of a group called the Marauders?”**

“Good idea.” Mandy said. “Use nicknames to tell the story and then bring in their identities.”

**Bill looked a little startled. “Yeah. Yeah, I did. They were pranksters, but no one had a clue who they were. They first appeared in 197 … 5, I believe …**

“January.” James confirmed, grinning. “Third year. Just after we found out what our forms were and came up with the nicknames.”

**… and the pranks didn’t stop until 1981, but they were very sporadic after 1979, so most people figured they graduated that year and returned to Hogwarts every so often for … whatever reason.**

“There were Order meetings held at Hogwarts every so often.” _Sirius_ explained. “We couldn’t resist.”

**No one knew what house they were in, because they targeted all houses equally – they must have pranked themselves constantly …**

“We did.” Sirius grumbled.

“If we didn’t, we’d have been caught.” Remus said tiredly.

**… because no one ever got spared. They only ever targeted the whole school or whole houses, unless they were retaliating for something – normally some form of bullying.”**

**“The Marauders always signed their pranks.” Hermione continued, when Bill stopped. “ _Courtesy of Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_.**

“If no one knew who you were,” Harry said, “how did you get a reputation for pranking?”

“Because they pulled pranks they could get caught for as well.” Lily answered, smiling fondly at her boyfriend. “So they could have the attention _and_ the anonymity.”

**And most people were right – they did graduate in 1979. Most people also had no idea about Misses Selena, Shadow, Jade, Bastet and Talon, but that’s another story. These four boys were best friends – brothers, in fact – so when they figured out that Mr Moony was a werewolf in second year, they decided they wanted to help him.”**

**The room was utterly silent, every occupant intrigued, even if they didn’t know why.**

**“They became Animagi.” Hermione explained. “Werewolves are only a danger to humans, not to animals, and while they were there, Mr Moony kept his mind, more so than he would normally have done. In their third year, they discovered their Animagi forms and assigned themselves nicknames, which is when the pranking … not started, but became more anonymous.”**

“Most of the time.” Addie smirked, confirming Lily’s earlier words.

**“They did still continue pranking overtly.” McGonagall said, her lips thin. “We could just never prove they were the Marauders.**

Fred shook his head. “I still find that incredible.”

**Continue, Miss Granger.”**

**“Of course, Professor.” Hermione cleared her throat. “So they became Animagi – Mr Wormtail was a rat, Mr Padfoot was a dog, and Mr Prongs was a stag. After they graduated, Mr Prongs and Miss Jade got married and had a baby – little Pronglet.”**

Harry rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

**She paused for a moment. “They were very happy, until they learned that Voldemort …” she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the squeaks and gasps of protest (Harry was right – that was really annoying)**

“Thank you!” Harry sighed.

**“… wanted to kill Pronglet. So they went into hiding under the Fidelius Charm. Mr Padfoot was their Secret Keeper.”**

**Instantly the tension in the room increased tenfold, as everyone began to realise just who the Marauders were.**

**“But in October of 1982, that all changed.” Hermione’s face darkened. “They changed Secret Keeper to Mr Wormtail, who betrayed them and, on Halloween, Voldemort attacked, leaving Pronglet as the Boy-Who-Lived.”**

Lily closed her eyes. “It sounds even worse all set out like that.”

**“So Mr Prongs,” Bill said quietly, “was James Potter. Miss Jade was Lily Potter. And Mr Wormtail was … Sirius Black?”**

“Don’t insult me.” Sirius growled. **  
**

**“No.” Remus answered tiredly, as Hermione put a warning hand on Padfoot’s head. “Mr Padfoot was Sirius Black. Mr Wormtail was Peter Pettigrew.”**

**“The next morning,” Hermione continued, before anyone could interrupt, “Padfoot tracked Wormtail down, but rather than going in quietly, he shouted, “Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?!” whereupon he blew the street apart, cut his finger off, turned into a rat and sped down into the sewers.”**

**“But that would mean …” Emmeline said slowly. “That would mean Sirius Black is … innocent.”**

“Well, give the girl a coconut.” _Addie_ muttered sarcastically.

**“He is.” Hermione confirmed. “I saw Peter Pettigrew with my own eyes last June. Pettigrew had been living as a domestic rat.” She looked at Mr and Mrs Weasley. “Crookshanks didn’t eat Scabbers.”**

**Mrs Weasley gasped in horror.**

“Mum came home and nearly suffocated Ron.” Fred said, looking amused.

**“But …” Emmeline still looked sceptical. “This would have all come up in his trial …”**

**“He wasn’t given one, Em.” Hestia whispered, staring at the table in shock. “Several of the aurors protested, but I …” Guilt and what felt like affection rose in the air as she shook her head.**

_Addie_ swallowed, feeling her stomach tighten. _Sirius_ had told her, again and again, that he still loved her. But there had been three years before he went to Azkaban.

If he’d found someone else, she couldn’t be mad at him for it.

She didn’t want him to spend his life mourning her.

She wanted him to be happy.

**“I should have known. We were friends – why didn’t I know?”**

**“None of us did.” Remus said heavily. “I was his best friend, Hestia, and I didn’t believe him. You’ve got nothing to feel guilty about.”  
“So Sirius Black _will_ be joining us.” Kingsley concluded. “When?”**

David sighed. “Didn’t Hermione tell them what the forms were?”

**Hermione smiled sweetly. “Don’t tell me you all forgot what animal Padfoot was.” She looked down at the dog by her feet. “Are they always this unobservant?”**

**Padfoot stood up and transformed back into Sirius, slowing down the transformation so as not to startle anyone. “I think they’re out of practice, Hermione; give them a break.”**

“The aurors shouldn’t be.” David muttered.

**Before anyone else could say anything, Tonks stood up quickly and manoeuvred around the table with a grace that surprised even Hermione (after just an hour, she knew the woman was notoriously clumsy) …**

Jen chuckled. “She gets that from Ted.”

**…before throwing herself into Sirius’s arms.**

**“Mum never thought you did it.” She half-sobbed. “Not really.”**

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s something.”

**Sirius hugged her tightly, and the whole room seemed to let out a collective breath. When the cousins pulled apart, they both had red-rimmed eyes, but no one commented on it.**

**Kingsley stood as well, reaching across the table to shake Sirius’s hand. “Good to see you again, Sirius. I’m in charge of the search for you, you know. Apparently, you’ve just been spotted in Hawaii.” He added, winking at him.**

“Well, that’s handy!” James grinned.

 _Addie_ bit her lip nervously, shaking off her earlier insecurities. “Just don’t rely on it, Sirius; please be careful.”

**Sirius laughed. “Well, I hear the weather’s lovely there at this time of year.”**

“The weather’s always lovely in Hawaii.” Lily said wistfully. “I’d love to go there one day.”

“Okay.” James said.

“Okay what?” Lily asked.

“Okay, we’ll go to Hawaii one day.” James elaborated.

“Are you serious?” Lily asked in disbelief. “Padfoot, don’t you dare!”

James grinned at her. “It’s not like we haven’t got the money for it.”

**He turned to Hermione apologetically. “I hate to say this, Hermione, but …”  
“I know.” Hermione sighed. “I can’t stay for the meeting. Do you have my trunk, Professor?”**

**Professor McGonagall pulled a small package out of her robes and placed it on the floor, tapping it with her wand to resize it. “There you are, Miss Granger.”**

**“Here.” Sirius waved his own wand over it, casting a Feather-Light Charm. “That way you can get it up the stairs. I’ll remove it later for you.” He added, with a meaningful smile.**

**“Thanks, Sirius.” Hermione said, hearing the unspoken reminder not to mention her use of magic in front of the Order.**

“That’s good.” Sirius said. “McGonagall would have killed me.”

“Forget McGonagall.” His future self said grimly. “ _Molly_ would have killed me.”

**She carried the trunk out up into the hallway, before drawing her wand and levitating up the rest of the stairs to her room. Removing the charm herself, she dug through the contents until she found a book she hadn’t read – at least in a while – before settling down and losing herself in the pages.**

“Which book?” Lily asked curiously.

Hermione thought for a second. “ _Wind in the Willows_ , I think.”

**Late that evening, when the Order had left, Hermione found herself down in the kitchen again, nursing a mug of hot chocolate. Remus had left that afternoon, to do … something – he hadn’t been very forthcoming with information, and Sirius, oddly, had not pushed for any.**

_Sirius_ smiled sadly. “I knew better than to try.”

**They had been sitting in silence for a few minutes, when Hermione asked, “Did something happen between you and Hestia?”**

_Addie_ stiffened involuntarily and _Sirius_ nudged her gently. “It was only ever semantics.” He whispered just loud enough for her to hear. “You’ll see.”

**“What makes you think that?” Sirius responded quietly, after a few seconds.**

**“She was the only one I really got a lot of guilt from earlier.” Hermione answered. “And affection too. It just seemed like you were closer than just ‘colleagues’.”**

**“We were friends.” Sirius conceded. “Like she said.” He sighed. “And I suppose you could argue that we dated briefly, except we didn’t.”**

_Addie_ frowned, while everyone else looked over at them. “You dated, but you didn’t. That doesn’t even make sense.”

“We didn’t.” _Sirius_ said.

 _Addie_ rolled her eyes. “It’s okay if you did, Sirius – I was dead.”

“I know that.” _Sirius_ gave her a meaningful look that she interpreted as knowing that she wasn’t as okay with it as she insisted. “But we didn’t.”

**“You dated but you didn’t.” Hermione repeated slowly.**

**“It’s complicated.” Sirius said, pouring himself a glass of firewhiskey.**

**It was a vague answer, but by no means a dismissal, so Hermione pushed on. “Did you love her?”**

**“No.” Sirius answered, sitting down opposite her. “Well, yeah, sort of, in that I loved Lily, Mandy and Arabella.**

“So like a sister.” _Addie_ concluded.

“Not quite that close.” _Sirius_ admitted. “But that region of affection, yes.”

**But I wasn’t in love with her. I still loved – love – Addie, and she had lost her fiancé to Death Eaters a few years previously. She was a few years ahead of us.”**

**Hermione frowned. “So why did you date?”**

**“I told you, we didn’t.” Sirius grimaced. “Just promise me you won’t tell Harry about this, alright?”**

Harry raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with me knowing?”

“Nothing.” _Sirius_ assured him. “It’s just _really_ embarrassing.”

**“Alright.” Hermione agreed, intrigued. “Is it … bad?”**

**“Not bad.” Sirius assured her. “Just embarrassing. Rita Skeeter asked me out and I turned her down.**

“I don’t blame you.” James said with a grimace.

**She did some digging, found out I hadn’t dated since Hogwarts, and … and outed me on the front page of the _Daily Prophet_.”**

_Addie_ coughed back a laugh. “I’m sorry?”

**It took all of Hermione’s self-control to keep a straight face. “She told the wizarding world you were gay.”**

_Addie_ buried her face in _Sirius_ ’s shoulder, shaking with mirth.

“I can feel that, you know.” _Sirius_ said dully. “Go ahead, you lot.”

For a few moments, the Room of Requirement echoed with laughter, James and Remus almost falling off their chairs.

Addie got control of herself first, turning to Sirius with a grin. “Padfoot, why didn’t you tell me? It’s nothing to be ashamed of, you know.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “I’m not.”

Still grinning, Addie patted his arm. “Sure you’re not.”

“I’m …” Deciding that actions spoke louder than words, Sirius pulled her to him, causing her to squeak, and kissed her deeply.

“I’m not.” He repeated, when they finally parted.

“Okay.” Addie said, a little faintly. “I believe you.”

Finally, everyone recovered themselves, and Neville kept reading. **  
**

**“Yes.” Sirius confirmed, rolling his eyes. “You can laugh.”**

**Hermione lapsed into giggles, just in time to prevent her ribs cracking from the effort of holding them in. It took her a few minutes, but she finally managed to get them under control. “How did everyone take it?”**

**Sirius smirked. “Well, Mother’s reaction was almost enough to convince me to just ignore it and let them all think that …**

“So why didn’t you?” Jen asked, covering a giggle. “We all knew the truth, and it’s not like you were trying to pick up witches.”

**… but … Well, you’ve read Rita’s stories; one scandal just isn’t enough.”**

**Hermione’s eyes widened. “Oh, she didn’t …”**

**“She did.” Sirius nodded. “Didn’t come right out and say it, but there were definite implications about the others.**

“Wait.” James said, looking grey. “You mean she suggested that we …”

“I dread to think what she thought went on in that dorm.” _Sirius_ said gravely, stroking _Addie_ ’s hair. “Have you recovered yet?”

“Just about.” _Addie_ said, sitting up and wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. “I needed that.”

**One woman actually asked Lily about it, very sympathetically, how awful it must be to read that and how did she feel about the whole thing. I think she meant the implications, but Lily, with a completely straight face, just said “I’m two months pregnant – how do you _think_ I feel?””**

“Thanks, Lily.” James muttered.

**He sniggered. “James didn’t talk to her for two weeks.”**

Lily giggled. “Was I actually pregnant?”

“Yeah, of course.” _Sirius_ said. “You’d only recently found out, mind, and you were probably closer to three months.” **  
**

**“Where did Hestia come into it?” Hermione asked, once the fresh wave of giggles had died down.**

**“Well, people were starting to pressure her about ‘getting back in the field’ as it were.” Sirius said, shaking his head.**

“That’s not right.” David frowned. “There’s no right or wrong way to mourn someone.”

**“I don’t know why they thought that was their place – grief doesn’t have a set time-limit. You can’t just wake up one day and say “Well, they’re gone; best get on with it!”” He sighed. “I lost Addie seventeen years ago – I _still_ haven’t done that.”**

“Don’t think I ever could.” _Sirius_ murmured. _Addie_ ’s smile faded and she nestled into him.

**Hermione patted his arm. “Hestia.” She prompted.  
“Right.” Sirius took a sip of firewhiskey. “We were talking after an Order meeting, commiserating about our respective problems … I can’t even remember who suggested it, but we went out to dinner a few times.**

“And that was it?” Lily asked.

 _Sirius_ nodded. “Never even kissed her.”

**Her ‘friends’ stopped bugging her; Skeeter’s story was proved wrong.” He grimaced. “I still can’t stand that woman though. Someone needs to make her shut up.”**

**Hermione smiled secretively. “Maybe they will.” She leaned back in her chair, the humour slowly draining from her body as a sense of foreboding took its place. “What happens now?”**

Lily sighed. “You shouldn’t have to worry about that.”

“I do.” Hermione said. “We all do.”

“I know.” Lily said, smiling weakly. “But you shouldn’t _have_ to.”

**“With Skeeter?” Sirius asked blankly.**

**“With the war.” Hermione corrected softly, staring into her mug.**

**“We wait.” Sirius answered grimly. “As much as I hate waiting. Did you have any plans for the summer?”**

**“Not really.” Hermione said with a shrug. “Viktor did ask me if I wanted to visit Bulgaria – his mother offered me a summer apprenticeship … but after all this … I need to stay in England.”**

“I don’t blame you.” Jen said sympathetically.

**“Well, you and Harry always have a home here.”**

“See, you called it home too.” Hermione said.

**Sirius told her, before sighing. “However much I wish it wasn’t _here_.”**

**Hermione nodded absently, staring into the fire as it cast flickering shadows across the walls. “Do you think we can win?” She asked finally, looking up to meet his gaze.**

“We’ve got to.” Mandy whispered.

**“With the team we’ve got?” Sirius asked. He grinned at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re Marauders, Kitten. No doubt about it.”**

**Hermione pretended not to notice the doubt in the air and tried to believe what he said, to believe that he wasn’t trying to convince himself as much as her.**

**He was definitely right about one thing though. They were Marauders. And they weren’t going down without one hell of a fight.**

“Damn right we’re not.” Fred and Harry chorused.

Neville closed the book. “That’s the end.”

“Already?” _Addie_ asked shakily.

Neville nodded, but his words were stopped by the book vanishing in a flash of light.

“I guess this is … goodbye then.” Harry said slowly.

Lily choked back a sob and hugged him tightly.

 _Sirius_ and _Addie_ stood up, excused themselves, and calmly walked into the next room. Shutting the door, _Sirius_ turned to _Addie_ , looking concerned. “Are you alright?”

 _Addie_ took a deep breath. “I will be. Now,” she said, sounding far more confident than she felt, “I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life, mourning me, alright? I want you to be happy.”

“I can do both.” _Sirius_ said softly. “Until I get undeniable confirmation that you’re dead … Hell, probably long after that – as long as I draw breath, Addie, my heart is yours, and I can’t change that.”

 _Addie_ closed her eyes. “I told myself I wouldn’t cry again – I hate this!”

 _Sirius_ wrapped his arms around her, feeling his throat close up. “I know, darling. There’s still hope though.”

“You don’t know that!” _Addie_ protested. “What if …?!”

“Sirius! Addie!” Hermione’s voice called through the door. “You’ve got to come and see this!”

 _Sirius_ sighed. “What’s wrong, Hermione?”

“Nothing!” Hermione responded. “But another book just appeared!”

 _Sirius_ and _Addie_ stared at each other. “I guess we’ll know now.” _Addie_ said weakly.

 _Sirius_ nodded. “Let’s just hope we don’t end up wishing that we didn’t.”


End file.
